Such Is Life
by DreamSeeker
Summary: Continuation from "A Party to Remember" - Skye slowly spins out of control - will she find her way back to stable ground?


1.1 Such Is Life  
  
   
  
2 Prologue  
  
   
  
Disclaimer:       I do not own the characters of the ABC TV soap operas "All My Children", "One Life to Live", or "General Hospital".  The following story may involve some plots from the aforementioned soap operas.  This story is for entertainment purposes only.  
  
Author's Note: This story is a continuation from A Party to Remember.   
  
Cast list:  
  
All My Children – Adam, Liza, Colby, Hayley, Mateo, Baby Santos, JR, Myrtle  
  
One Life to Live – Rae, John  
  
General Hospital – Skye, Alan, Monica, Edward, Lila, Ned, A.J., Emily, Zander, Stefan, Alexis, Helena  
  
  
  
Two months had passed, yet to Skye it felt like a lifetime.  She sank back into the cool leather seat on first class, watching the clouds outside the airplane window.  Weariness won the battle, as her eyes fluttered and finally stayed closed.  But sleep evaded her, as her head filled with thoughts of the past few months.  
  
After Skye's nightmare and subsequent breakdown in front of Rae, Skye had tried to cut herself off completely from everyone.  
  
Rae had told Adam about Althea's horrendous assaults on Skye and demanded to know if Adam had known what his ex-wife had done to Skye.  Adam denied knowing any details whatsoever and was truly heartbroken over what Rae had told him.  Adam asked to see Skye, but Skye refused.  She was ashamed, embarrassed, and mortified that everyone now knew the awful truth of what she had endured.   
  
As the days and nights wore on, Adam's health improved, but Skye's emotional well-being was in a downward spiral.  It became an effort for her to even get out of bed in the morning; the only thing that kept her from staying under the covers all day were the nightmares that continued to invade her dreams at night.  Once awake, Skye would try to keep herself occupied without running into anyone she knew, which was somewhat difficult since Skye didn't have any desire to even leave the hotel.  She sometimes stayed in her room, not answering the door or phone.  Other days, when she had more energy, she would go down to the pool for hours.  If she saw Rae, Liza, Marian, Stuart, or Colby, she would either jump into the pool to swim or duck into the locker room and proceed to work out.   
  
Rae sensed that Skye was in trouble, but the more Rae tried to reach out to her, the more Skye became withdrawn.  Skye wouldn't even respond to Stuart, who had always been able to reach her in the past.  It broke Rae's heart to see Skye this way.  To Rae, it seemed like Skye's spirit had finally been broken by Althea.  Rae no longer saw the spark in Skye's eyes that was always there before - that of intensity, regardless of the situation.    
  
When it was obvious that Adam was on the mend, and Stuart, Marian, and Colby decided to return to Pine Valley, Skye decided it was time that she leave as well.  She couldn't bear the thought of only her, Liza, and Rae being in San Francisco once again while they waited for Adam to be released from the hospital.  Plus, Skye didn't want to face Adam, and she knew that Adam wanted to get home to see his new grandson that Hayley had just given birth to.  So, without leaving more than a note for Rae at the hotel's front desk, Skye flew back to the one place where no one yet knew about her past – Port Charles.  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.1 Chapter 1  
  
   
  
Skye sighed as the plane taxied onto the runway at the Port Charles Airport.  She thought back to the first time she had flown to Port Charles, several months ago, and how she hadn't even yet known the identity of her biological father.  So much had changed since that first flight.  
  
Skye had come to a conclusion on the long flight from California to New York – it was once again time to leave the past behind and to get on with her life.  A part of her wished she had never opened up to Rae about Althea, about herself (or Toni, rather).  But there wasn't anything that could change that now.  No, Skye thought, the only thing I can do at this point is to move forward, and that will be with my new family.  
  
With a look of newfound determination on her face, Skye hailed a taxi to take her to the Quartermaine mansion.  She was home.  
  
Rae smiled at the hotel desk clerk as she asked if she had any messages.  "As a matter of fact, you have one message," the clerk replied, handing her a note.  
  
Rae recognized Skye's handwriting as soon as she opened the note.  Her heart started pounding as tears welled up in her eyes – she had known that this day was coming, when Skye would just simply leave without a good-bye.  Rae slowly moved over to a chair in the lobby and sat down before reading the note:  
  
Dear Rae:  
  
I have decided that it's time for me to leave here, since there really is no point in my staying.  Please tell Liza and my father (Adam) good-bye for me.  I'll be in touch.  
  
Skye  
  
Rae reached for her cell phone, her first instinct to call John with the news.  Then she remembered that John was actually on his way out to San Francisco – he had called Rae with the surprising news of his new job there.  Rae had agreed to pick John up at the airport and then discuss their future.  She had taken comfort in the fact that John had said, "Our future."   
  
Rae's head was spinning, she didn't know what to make of any of it.  When had everything suddenly changed?  She decided to go up to her room for a short nap before meeting John.  She hoped a nap would help clear her head and give her a fresh perspective on everything.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Mom!  Dad!  Grandfather?  Grandmother?  Anybody!"  AJ burst through the front door, a huge grin on his face as he yelled out names.   
  
"AJ, what is it?" Alan asked as he and Monica descended the stairs.  "My God, you look like you just won the lottery."  
  
"What does he need to win the lottery for, he's a Quartermaine!" Edward bellowed, coming out of the study.  "Now, what's all the commotion about, hmm?"  
  
AJ beamed at them.  "I did it!  I got my son back!"  
  
"Are you sure, AJ?  Seems like I've heard that one before," Edward grumbled.  
  
"Yes, Grandfather.  The court has ruled.  That last stunt of Sonny strapping a bomb to his chest and then Carly leaving Michael with Leticia for months was the final straw.  The judge granted me full custody!"  AJ was grinning from ear to ear as he relayed the news.  
  
Alan moved to hug AJ.  "I'm so happy for you, son.  That's the best news I've heard in quite a while."  
  
"I couldn't agree more," Monica said as she moved to hug AJ.  
  
"Well done, my boy, well done!" Edward said, suddenly in much happier spirits.  "I can't wait to tell Lila.  When is my great-grandson coming home?"  
  
"Scotty is with Carly right now, gathering up Michael's things.  It was the court's idea, there's also an officer of the court with them.  Of course, I want this transition to go well for Michael, so Carly will be coming over with him until he's settled in.  And I want ALL of you to be nice to her, got it?"  AJ looked pointedly at Edward.  
  
"Well, don't look at me!  All I care about is having my great-grandson under my roof!" Edward huffed, feigning innocence.   
  
AJ turned as he heard a car pull up the drive.  "That's probably them now!" he said excitedly, hurrying outside to welcome his son home.  
  
  
  
"Okay, Dad.  Just concentrate on getting well, and you'll be able to hold Lorenzo in no time."  Hayley Santos rocked her newborn baby boy, Lorenzo, in her arms as she talked on the phone with Adam Chandler.  "I love you, too.  Okay, see you soon.  Bye, Dad."  
  
Mateo poked his head into the nursery.  "Hey, how are my two favorite people in the whole world doing?" the new dad asked with a grin.  
  
"Just fine, honey," Hayley said, but then frowned as Lorenzo woke up and started to cry.  "I think somebody's either wet or hungry!" Hayley surmised as she stood up.   
  
"Well, we have some guests that want to see mother and son, so why don't you let me check his diaper, and you can go and visit?" Mateo suggested, to which Hayley readily agreed.  As much as she loved being a new mother, she still appreciated Mateo helping out with the responsibilities.  
  
"Who's here?" Hayley asked as she handed the baby over to Mateo.  
  
"Stuart, Marian, and Colby," Mateo answered, smiling as he saw the look of delight on Hayley's face.   
  
"Oh, they must have just returned from San Francisco!  How wonderful!"  They hadn't yet seen the baby, nor had Liza or Adam, since they had all been in San Francisco when she went into labor a bit early.   
  
She left Mateo attending to a dirty diaper, trying to hide a smirk as he groaned.  As she walked out into the living room, she was surprised to see Myrtle there as well.   
  
"Hayley!" Stuart jumped up when she entered the room, running over to her and giving her a bear hug.  "How are you?  You look just great!" he beamed.   
  
"I wanna see the baby!" Colby demanded, causing everyone to laugh.   
  
"You can in just a minute, sweetheart, okay?  Mateo has to change the baby's diaper first," Hayley told the little girl with a smile, then turned to Myrtle.  "What a nice surprise, I didn't know you'd be here, too."  
  
"Well, darling, I'm sorry to come unannounced, but I was hoping to talk to you a bit.  I – ," Myrtle paused, glancing at Stuart and Marion," I guess it's good you're all here, because it affects all of you in a way.  It's… it's about Skye."  
  
"What about her?  Did something happen to her?" Hayley asked with concern.  She and Skye had never been close, but she was still her sister – well, adopted sister as it turned out, but still her sister.  
  
"No, no darling, nothing has happened to her.  At least, nothing that I'm aware of," Myrtle said, frowning as she sat down next to Stuart.   
  
"Where's Skye?  I wanna see Skye!" Colby pouted, her lower lip sticking out.  
  
"Apparently, Colby has become very fond of Skye," Marian said with a shrug, as if to say 'go figure.'  
  
Hayley shook her head in confusion.  "Okay, one thing at a time.  Myrtle, what's going on with Skye?"  
  
"I think I might be able to answer that," Stuart said quietly with a sad smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Stefan, you're out of jail for now, but that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way," Alexis Davis warned as she and Stefan took the boat to Wyndemere.  
  
"Don't worry, Alexis.  I'll be able to prove my innocence," Stefan said stoically.  
  
"Don't you mean, I should be able to prove your innocence?  I am your lawyer, after all, or have you already forgotten that little fact?" Alexis asked, frustrated beyond belief with her brother.  
  
Stefan remained silent, his thoughts turning to that moment when he found Chloe lying motionless on the floor in the den at Wyndemere.  Who would, or could, do that to her, he wondered.  He looked ahead at Spoon Island as the boat came closer to Wyndemere.  I can't go back in there, not tonight, he thought to himself.  
  
"Driver, turn the boat around, please.  Head back to the mainland," Stefan directed.  
  
"What exactly are you doing?" Alexis inquired with a perplexed look.   
  
"I don't want to be there tonight.  I'll stay at the Port Charles Hotel."  Alexis continued to stare at him, unconvinced he was alright.  "Alexis, I'll be fine.  Maybe I'll even go down to the Grille and have a drink at the bar.  I just… I just want to be around people tonight, alright?"  
  
Alexis nodded before looking away, but still with a look of concern on her face for her brother.  
  
  
  
Skye took a deep breath as she stepped out of the taxi, looking up at the massive mansion before her.  Okay, it's time to make this work, she told herself as she gathered up her luggage and paid the driver.   
  
Skye hesitated at the front door, trying to decide if she should ring the bell or just go in.  If I'm going to make this my home, then I should treat it as such, she decided before opening the front door.  
  
Bracing herself for the worst, Skye was surprised to hear laughter coming from the parlor.  Merriment in the Quartermaine house?  No, it couldn't be.  Skye quietly set down her bags and then walked over to the parlor doors, peeking in at the scene.  
  
AJ was holding Michael in his arms, beaming.  "Michael, I missed you so much.  Your daddy loves you very, very much."  The rest of the family laughed as Michael squirmed but then conceded and let his dad hug him.   
  
"That goes double for me," Alan said with a grin, kissing the top of Michael's forehead.  Michael rubbed his head, making a face, causing everyone to laugh again.  
  
"After everything this family has been through lately, having Michael here is a welcome surprise," Monica commented.  
  
Skye rolled her eyes, certain that Monica was referring to her in that statement.  
  
"Yes, Monica, it certainly is," Lila agreed.  "This family deserves some happiness."  
  
Surprised, Skye stepped back from the doorway.  Was Lila now against her, too?  
  
"Hi, everyone!" Emily called out as she entered from the terrace, Zander in tow.  
  
"What is that deviant doing in my house?" Edward demanded.  
  
"Whose house?" Monica growled.  
  
"Not now, you two," Alan warned them.  "Em, great news, honey.  AJ has custody of Michael now!  Isn't that terrific?"  
  
Emily walked slowly up to AJ and Michael.  "Yeah, that's great," she said, giving Michael a kiss.  "Congratulations, AJ.  I do mean that."  
  
"Thanks, Em," AJ said gratefully, giving her a hug.  Michael joined in, hugging both of their legs.  Once again, laughter erupted from everyone.  
  
"Well, everyone's here now.  What a wonderful occasion," Alan remarked.  Skye winced from her hidden viewpoint, realizing that she wasn't even missed.  
  
"Well, not everyone is here," Ned reminded them, a sullen look on his face.  Skye was shocked, she had never expected Ned to point out that she was missing from a family gathering.  
  
"Of course, Ned, I'm sorry.  Chloe," Alan simply said.  
  
Skye backed away from the door, fighting back tears.  They didn't care whether she was there or not, so she wasn't going to stick around.  Gathering her bags, she quietly slipped out the front door and called herself another taxi with her cell phone.  Skye hoped no one would come outside and discover her there while she waited for the cab, especially since she couldn't stop the tears from coursing down her cheeks.  Gee, by this point, you'd think I'd be all dried up by now, she lamented silently as she wiped away her tears.    
  
Skye looked back one last time at the house as the cab pulled up.  "Lady, you getting in or not?" the cab driver called out to her.  
  
As she hurried into the cab, the driver asked her destination.  "Port Charles Hotel, please," Skye replied.  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.2 Chapter 2  
  
   
  
"John!  Over here, John!"  Rae called out to her strikingly handsome boyfriend as he exited the baggage terminal.  It took all of her willpower not to run up to him and into his arms, but she forced herself to wait for him by the car; nonetheless, she couldn't keep her smile from spreading as he drew near.  
  
"Well, what have we here?  Door-to-door service?"  John leaned down to kiss Rae's cheek, trying to keep his emotions under control.  It never ceased to amaze him – every time he saw this woman standing in front of him, his heart raced as if he'd just run a 100-yard dash.  He had never felt this kind of strong emotion for any other woman, and he loved it.  
  
Rae stepped back and looked into John's eyes.  "What, a kiss on the cheek is all I get?" she teased with a smile.  
  
"I'm sorry, did you want me to strip you down right here?" John asked, playfully starting to unbutton the top of her blouse.  
  
Rae lightly slapped his hand.  "John!" she mock-whispered, embarrassed.  "Not here!"  
  
John laughed as he put his luggage in the trunk of the car, then got in the car next to Rae.  Looking over at her, he noticed a clouded expression on her face.  "Rae, what is it?" he asked, suddenly concerned.  
  
"Oh, John, there's so much I need to talk to you about."  Rae paused and bit her lip, just as a car behind her laid on its horn, wanting her spot.  Rae sighed as she started the car.  "But apparently, that's going to have to wait.  Why don't we make tonight just about us, huh?  And then tomorrow, we can talk about anything and everything."  She looked at him hopefully.  
  
"Sounds good to me," John answered, leaning in and kissing Rae softly on the lips this time.  
  
Rae giggled like a schoolgirl.  "Now that's more like it," she said as she pulled out into the airport traffic.  
  
"It's a start," John agreed with a grin.  
  
  
  
  
  
Alan sat at his desk, smiling as he remembered the wonderful evening the family had just had together.  Michael was once again home with AJ, and they had put together a wonderful last-minute celebration.   
  
"Are you coming up to bed?" Monica asked as she walked into the room and poured herself some water.  
  
"In a minute," Alan replied.  He rose and walked over to Monica, twirled her around, and kissed her passionately, much to her surprise.  
  
"Well, what in the world was that for?" she asked breathlessly after Alan finally pulled away.  
  
Alan looked at her tenderly.  "I just love you so much, do you know that?" he said with a smile.  
  
"Well, you'd better," Monica replied, only half-joking.  Seeing the smile fade on Alan's face, Monica backtracked.  "Oh, come on, you know that I love you just as much, don't you?" she asked as she wrapped her arms around Alan's neck.  
  
"Yes, I do.  Even when you threaten to move me to the west wing."  Alan grinned at his wife, then suddenly looked away with a frown.  
  
"What – what's the matter?" Monica asked, noticing his sudden change in demeanor.  
  
"Well, you may think this is funny, but the mention of moving me to the west wing reminded me of Skye."  
  
Monica put her arms back down to her side.  "Oh, her."  
  
"Now, Monica, don't go being like that.  I only wish she could've been here to share in this wonderful night with the family," Alan explained.  
  
"Well, it might not have been such a wonderful family night if Skye had been here," Monica shot back, then instantly regretted it.  
  
After a moment, Alan spoke quietly.  "Monica, I haven't spoken to Skye in weeks.  I need to call her and see how she's doing.  Can you understand that?"  
  
Monica nodded, realizing she had overplayed her hand.  "Yes, I do, believe it or not.  I'll be upstairs."  
  
Alan waited until Monica had left before dialing the number of the San Francisco hotel where Skye was staying.  After asking for Skye's room, Alan was told that she had checked out.  Growing more worried by the minute, Alan then asked for Rae's room and was a bit relieved to find that she was still staying at the hotel.  After not getting an answer in her room, Alan left her a message to call him.  
  
Hanging up, Alan wondered where Skye was, and prayed that she was safe.  
  
  
  
Stefan sighed and rubbed his temples as the bartender poured him another scotch on the rocks at the Port Charles Grille.  He couldn't begin to relish in his freedom with an impending trial hanging over his head, not to mention the murder of the woman he loved.  He kept seeing her lifeless body lying on the floor in his head, he just couldn't push away the awful image.  
  
Stefan raised his glass to take another drink when his arm was suddenly bumped, causing him to drop his drink in his lap.  Angrily, he turned around to see who the culprit was.  A beautiful redheaded woman stared back at him with wide eyes.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Skye said after a moment of silence.  "Please, allow me to buy you another one."  
  
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"  Stefan's voice was low and controlled, but the fury was obvious in his eyes.  
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Skye protested, backing away a step.  
  
"Don't be coy, miss.  Who told you to do that?  Or was it your own idea?  Did you read about me in the paper and decide I'm already guilty?"  Stefan could feel his blood pressure rising as he spoke.  
  
"Look, I don't know what you're talking about.  I've been out of town," Skye answered angrily.  
  
"Sure you have," Stefan huffed, turning back around to the bar.  "Bartender!"  
  
Skye tapped Stefan on the shoulder and waited until he turned around and looked at her again.  "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you have no right to talk to me that way, even if I did spill your drink.  Accidentally, I might add."  
  
Stefan was simply annoyed at this point and didn't care whether this woman in front of him was telling the truth or not.  All he cared about was getting another drink.  "Fine.  Now, if you'll excuse me."  He turned his back to her once again, lifting his new drink.  
  
Skye didn't know whether to stay or go.  As annoyed as she was to be accused of bumping into that man on purpose, she was intrigued at the same time.  Weighing her options, Skye finally decided to play a bit with this man and see what happened.  After the day she'd had, she needed some distraction, and it was either that man or booze.   
  
Thinking back to the scene she'd witnessed at the Quartermaine mansion, Skye shook her head, biting her lip.  Why did I even get my hopes up, she wondered.  It only leads to disappointment.  How many times am I going to have to learn that lesson before it finally sinks in?  
  
Skye moved over to a barstool a few feet down from Stefan, noticing the scowl on his face, but also observing what a handsome face it was.  Maybe my bumping into him was a good thing after all, she thought, as she asked the bartender for a club soda with lime.   
  
"Would you like to start a tab?" the bartender asked her.  
  
Skye glanced over at Stefan, who was staring down into his drink.  "Sure," she said, loud enough for him to hear.  "Here you go."  She handed the bartender her credit card.  
  
"Thank you, Ms. Chandler," the bartender said.  
  
"Actually, that's Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine," Skye corrected, trying to hide her smile as Stefan looked up at her with a puzzled expression on his face.  
  
  
  
"So is someone going to tell me what's going on or what?" Hayley asked Stuart and Myrtle.   
  
"Well, it's about…," Myrtle started to say, but then was cut off by Mateo.  
  
"I heard some people out here wanted to see a baby?" Mateo beamed, holding little Lorenzo.  
  
"Oh, I wanna see him!" Colby squealed, running up to Mateo and peeking up at the newborn in his arms.  
  
"Oh, dahlings, he's beautiful," Marian praised as she went over to Marian.  "Stuart, dahling, come and take a look."  
  
"Oh, wow!  Hayley and Mateo, you did a great job!" Stuart said enthusiastically as he cooed to the baby.   
  
Everyone had a turn holding the baby, except for Colby, who sat on Stuart's lap as Marian held Lorenzo.  "He's so small!" she kept saying.  
  
"I remember when you were that small," Marian told her.  
  
"Nope, I was never that small!" Colby protested.  Lorenzo started to cry.  
  
"Why doesn't Daddy go and get Lorenzo a bottle so he can work on growing?" Hayley suggested.  "Uh, Marian, maybe you and Colby could go and help Mateo and Lorenzo?" Hayley asked.  
  
Marian sensed that Hayley wanted to be alone with Stuart and Myrtle.  "Yes, that's wonderful, dahling.  Come along, Colby."   
  
As soon as they had left the room, Hayley sat down next to Stuart.  "Okay, now one of you tell me what is going on with Skye!" she demanded.  
  
Myrtle looked sheepishly at Stuart, who cleared his throat.  "Uh, okay, I guess I'll tell you what I know.  Only don't tell Adam, because he said I shouldn't tell anybody, but I think you should know," Stuart explained with a hopeful smile.  
  
"That's fine, Uncle Stuart, whatever," Hayley agreed, frowning.  "This must be bad if Dad doesn't want anyone to know about it."  
  
"Well, it's not good, that's for sure, but it's something that happened in the past, so it can't hurt anyone right now," Stuart said.  
  
"Well, what is it, exactly?" Hayley asked, growing impatient.  
  
Stuart told Hayley and Myrtle the story - how Adam had confided in Stuart in the San Francisco hospital, very upset over what Rae had told him about the way Althea treated Skye; how Adam couldn't believe that Rae thought he could have known what was going on and done nothing to stop it; and finally how he had asked to see Skye after getting over the shock of what Skye had endured as a child, then finding out that Skye wouldn't go anywhere near him.   
  
Hayley shook her head, confused.  "So, what… Skye just repressed all of this and didn't tell anyone until now?"   
  
"I'm not sure," Stuart replied.  "I think she may have remembered some all along, but not all of it.  I don't know what exactly Skye told Rae."  He looked over at Myrtle, who looked away.   
  
"Well, it sounds like Dad is more worried about how this is affecting him than how it's affecting Skye.  In true Dad fashion, I might add," Hayley noted wryly.  
  
Stuart shook his head.  "No, Hayley.  Adam can be selfish, we all know that.  But Adam asked me to look after Skye in San Francisco.  Only I couldn't do a very good job because she even tried to stay away from me," he said, obviously hurt.  "Liza just called me when we got home and said Skye has left, and no one knows where she is."  Stuart stood up and started pacing.  "I just wish I could help her, I wish I knew where she was.  I just want to hug her and tell her everything will be all right."  
  
Hayley stood up and put her hand on Stuart's shoulder, stopping him.  "I know you do, Uncle Stuart.  That's why you're everyone's favorite uncle, you always know how to make people feel better."  Hayley looked down at Myrtle, who had a thoughtful look on her face.  "Myrtle, what are you thinking?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"I'll tell you what I'm thinking," Myrtle said, standing up to join them.  "I'm thinking that if I know Skye, and I think I do, then I know where she's gone off to." She paused as Colby came bounding into the room, followed by Marian, Mateo, and Lorenzo.  Eyes twinkling, Myrtle looked down at Colby.  "And I know just the thing we can do to make her feel better."  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.3 Chapter 3  
  
   
  
"Oh, wow!" Rae breathed as she rolled off of John.  "That was incredible!"  
  
"Well, I should hope so.  I've been working out more lately, since I haven't had much else to occupy my time."  John grinned as he stroked her cheek.  
  
"It shows."  Rae closed her eyes as she put her head on his chest, listening as his heartbeat slowed a bit, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he caught his breath.   
  
"Rae?" John called out softly, running his fingers through her hair.  
  
"Hmm?" she mumbled, not wanting to open her eyes.   
  
"Rae, I have something I want to discuss with you," John said nervously.  
  
Rae looked up, a worried expression on her face.  "What is it?  Is something wrong?" she asked.  
  
"Well, no, not really.  There's just been a… um… change in plans, that's all."  
  
"Well, what is it, John?  You really had me worried for a minute there."  
  
"I'm sorry."  He leaned down and kissed her slowly, then continued to play with her hair as she gazed up at him adoringly.  "Well, the job offer in San Francisco fell through," he started, only to be interrupted.   
  
"What?"  Rae sat up in surprise.  "What do you mean, it fell through?  Why?  And why would you come out here if you already knew it fell through?"  
  
John smiled a boyish smile.  "To see you, silly."  
  
"Oh."  Rae giggled, then grew serious again.  "So, John, what does this mean?  Can you still get your job back at the Llanview PD?"  She wouldn't admit it to John, but she was secretly glad that he'd be staying in Llanview, even if it meant he wouldn't be getting a higher position.  
  
"Well, that's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about."  John grasped both of Rae's hands in his own and looked into her eyes.  "I have another offer, in a different city."  
  
"Oh," was all Rae could think of to say, trying to hide her disappointment.  
  
"Now, wait – let me tell you where.  It's in Port Charles."  
  
"Really?" Rae was dumbfounded… out of all the places in the world, Port Charles?  "So, are you going to take it?" she asked.  
  
"Well, that kind of depends," John answered hesitantly.  
  
"On what?" Rae asked, wide-eyed.  
  
"On you."  John paused, trying to gauge her reaction.  
  
"On me?  What do you mean?" Rae was breathless, getting lost in his eyes.  
  
"Well, I was kind of hoping for two things to happen.  One, I want you to move out there with me," John told her, watching as she smiled.  "And two," he paused, taking a big breath, "I want to marry you, Gretel Rae Cummings."  
  
"You what?!?" Rae managed to get out, flabbergasted.  "You want to… you want me to…"  Rae couldn't think straight, her heart was beating so fast.  
  
"Rae, I fell in love with you over a year ago.  I've seen you get through some amazing obstacles.  I've seen how you care for others.  I've seen the goodness in your heart.  I have no doubt in my mind that I want you to be my wife, and I hope you'll take me as your husband."  John let go of her hands, went over to his briefcase, and pulled out a black velvet box.  He came back over and knelt on the floor beside the bed.  "Rae, will you marry me?" he asked, opening the box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring.  
  
"Yes!" Rae said softly, tears running down her face.  "Oh, yes, John, I'll marry you!" she shouted, laughing as John stood up and slipped the ring onto her finger, then held her in his arms.  She couldn't remember when she had ever been this happy.  
  
  
  
  
  
Skye kept up her coy routine of occasionally glancing over at Stefan as she sipped her club soda.  Every once in awhile, he would look up and catch her eye, but she never even got so much as a smile out of him, to her disappointment.  She was about to give up when she saw Alexis walk into the Grille.  
  
Alexis looked around and finally found Stefan.  As she approached him, she was surprised to see Skye sitting at the bar; she thought that Skye had been out of town for quite awhile now.  Ignoring Skye's stares, Alexis went up to Stefan and sat down next to him.  
  
"What can I do for you, Alexis?" Stefan asked, obviously drunk by this point.  
  
"I was afraid you would do this.  Look, Stefan, even though you're out of jail now, I don't know if I can keep it that way.  I need you to be on your best behavior.  Don't do anything foolish right now," Alexis urged him in a low voice.   
  
"Now why would I want to do anything foolish?" Stefan bellowed, causing several patrons to stare at him.  
  
"Would you keep your voice down?" Alexis hissed, trying to look confident as people continued to stare.   
  
"Fine, little sister," Stefan said, lowering his voice slightly, but not so much that Skye didn't hear.   
  
Skye tried to hear what they were saying, she couldn't believe this man and Alexis were siblings.   
  
"Look, I want you to go up to your room and go straight to bed," Alexis ordered Stefan quietly.   
  
"I'm still finishing my drink," Stefan protested, picking up his glass.   
  
"Well, well – isn't this a cozy picture," a sarcastic voice said behind Alexis and Stefan.  Skye watched as Ned, not yet noticing her, strode over to Stefan and Alexis.  "How did your client get out of jail so quickly, Alexis?"  Ned glared at both of them.  
  
"It's called bail," Alexis answered matter-of-factly, then turned back to Stefan.  "You should really go to your room – NOW – before trouble breaks out."  
  
"Looks like trouble already broke out, or was let out," Ned remarked, then took a step toward Stefan.  "You're going to pay, ya got that?"  
  
"Let go of me!" Stefan roared, trying to throw Ned off of him, but Ned was quicker and clocked Stefan first.   
  
As Alexis ran to Stefan's side, Ned noticed Skye staring at the scene, her mouth hanging open.  "Well, this evening just gets better and better.  Look what the cat dragged in," he smirked.  
  
"Hello, Ned," Skye said with zero sincerity.  "I see you haven't changed much since I've been gone.  Except, here's a hint… that's probably not the best way to get Alexis back," Skye mock-whispered to Ned, sneering.  
  
Ned ignored her and strode out of the Grille, as the manager came out to where Stefan lay.  "Miss, we're going to have to ask him to leave," the manager told Alexis.   
  
"Sure, no problem.  Ya got a dumbwaiter I can prop him up on?" Alexis asked, noticing that Stefan was passed out, most likely from the combination of alcohol and Ned's hard punch.  
  
"Excuse me," Skye said, walking over to Alexis.  "I don't know if you remember me, but perhaps I could help you."  
  
"Why would you want to do that?" Alexis asked frankly.  
  
Skye sighed, crossing her arms across her chest.  "Look, I was just trying to be helpful.  It's already been a hell of a night for me, too.  I saw your brother or whoever this guy is earlier, and he tore into me, I don't even know what he was talking about.  It was obvious that he was getting into worse and worse shape throughout the evening, and then my ever-so- wonderful Cousin Ned just pushed him over the edge.  So, do you want my help or not?"  
  
"Breathe," Alexis instructed.  
  
"Excuse me?" Skye asked.  
  
"I told you to breathe, you were rambling a bit.  I… I know from experience, I do it myself sometimes."  Seeing Skye look at her like she was from Mars, Alexis shook her head.  "Never mind.  I accept your offer of help.  Let's just drag him to the elevator, okay?"  
  
"Sure," Skye replied, looking down at an unconscious Stefan.  Looks like I'll see the inside of his hotel room tonight after all, just not the way I had planned to, she thought as she picked up one arm and Alexis picked up the other.  
  
  
  
"So, Dad, you're not going to tell me anything about Althea?" Hayley asked into the phone.  She listened for a minute, shaking her head.  "No, don't worry about who told me.  I'm more concerned about Skye right now.  Do you know where she is?"  
  
After a few minutes more of conversation, Hayley hung up with Adam.   
  
"Is he mad?" Stuart asked anxiously.  
  
"No, Uncle Stuart, he wasn't mad, he's just… Dad," Hayley said in exasperation.  "Myrtle, how did you do?"  
  
"Well, I tried to call Rae but couldn't get ahold of her, so I left her a message.  We should know something soon," Myrtle patted Hayley's arm reassuringly.  
  
Hayley sat down on the couch, rubbing her head.  "I don't know why this is bugging me so much, probably because I put up with Arlene's crap for so long.  But it sounds like it was a hundred times worse for Skye."  Hayley paused and chuckled.  "If someone had told me a few years ago that I would actually care what happened to Skye, I would have told them that they'd lost their mind.  But I do.  Go figure, but I do."  
  
Just then, Myrtle's cell phone rang.  "Oh, this is my source I was tellin' you about," she said, answering the phone.   
  
Myrtle had a big smile on her face as she hung up.  "Jackpot!" she said, raising a fist in the air as a sign of success.  
  
"You mean…" Hayley started to say.  
  
"Yes, she confirmed it.  It's time to take a trip!"  Myrtle looked over at Hayley.  "Oh, but darling, you need to take care of your little one."  
  
"Well, Myrtle, I think your plan will work without me there anyway.  But I want a play-by-play report!  And don't forget, we came up with a secret weapon," Hayley reminded her.  
  
"Oh, I can't wait!" Stuart said excitedly.  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.4 Chapter 4  
  
   
  
Rae lazily opened one eye and glanced over at the man sleeping next to her.  Smiling, she closed her eyes again, then remembered the events of the previous night.  Suddenly, she sat bolt upright in bed.  "Oh, my God!"  
  
John rolled over, now awake, and rubbed his eyes.  "Rae, for heaven's sake, what is it?"  
  
"I just remembered… we have so much to do!  We have to find a place to live in Port Charles, we have a wedding to plan…"  Rae's mind worked overtime as she continued to babble, wide-eyed.  
  
John rested on one elbow and watched her, a smile of amusement on his face, his eyes flickering with laughter.  "Rae, Rae… calm down.  We'll get it all done."  
  
"Yes, yes of course we will, you're absolutely right, John."  Rae paused, suddenly in deep thought.  
  
"What is that look about?" John asked, concern creeping into his voice as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.  
  
"Oh, I was just thinking about Skye, that's all," Rae admitted with a sigh.  "You know, John, I wanted to tell her about us, about the wedding, but I…" Rae stopped abruptly, gazing at the phone, as John stared at her puzzled.  
  
"Rae, what…" John started to ask before Rae practically jumped over at him as she lunged for the phone.  
  
"John, there's a message!  How could I not have noticed that earlier?" Rae exclaimed as she quickly dialed into the hotel's voice mail system.  
  
"Well, I'd like to think that I was keeping you preoccupied last night," John laughed, as Rae gave him a playful punch, then once again grew serious as she listened intently to the messages.  
  
"Oh, dear.  One was from Alan, he doesn't seem to know where Skye has disappeared to.  The other one was from Momma, she said she found out Skye is back in Port Charles, and she and Stuart are on their way there for some reason."  Rae shook her head, chuckling.  "I swear, Myrtle has more connections," she mused, then got back to business.  "Anyway, I'd better get ready." She flung off the covers and hopped out of bed, leaving a bemused John looking after her as she headed for the bathroom.  
  
"And just what are we getting ready for?" John yelled after her retreating figure.   
  
"We have to get to Port Charles - today, if at all possible," Rae answered with determination, the kind that John knew was useless to argue against.  
  
  
  
Bleary-eyed, Skye set down her second cup of coffee and walked over to the door as someone knocked on the other side.  "I already got my room service, thank you very…" She stopped mid-sentence as she flung open the door to reveal Alan standing before her.   
  
"Hi, Skye," Alan smiled down at her.   
  
"Uh, Dad… what - uh, how did you know I was here?"  Skye ran her fingers through her unkempt hair that had yet to be brushed that morning.   
  
"Ned told me he'd seen you at The Grille last night," Alan explained, studying her intently.  Father and daughter stared at each other for a moment.  "May I come in?" Alan asked at last.  
  
"Oh, of course, how rude of me," Skye answered, breaking eye contact and opening the door wider to allow Alan into the room. "Would you like some coffee?"  
  
"Sure, coffee would be great," Alan answered, still scrutinizing his daughter.  
  
Skye busied herself with the task of pouring coffee.  Alan walked over to his daughter and touched her shoulder gently but caught Skye off-guard, who spilled the cup of coffee she had just poured and scalded herself.  
  
"Damn!"  Skye fought back the tears that unexpectedly pricked her eyes, cursing inwardly for letting down her guard.  She tried to wipe up the mess, but Alan stopped her.  
  
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry.  Here, you need to run your hands under cold water."  He guided her over to the sink.  
  
"It's not that bad, I'll be fine," Skye grumbled, but nonetheless allowed Alan to turn on the water and stick her hands under the faucet.  
  
"Okay, that should do it."  Alan turned off the water and handed Skye a towel.  "It's so good to see you, sweetheart," Alan said before they were interrupted by another knock at the door.  
  
"Good grief," Skye mumbled, looking down at her silk pajamas she was still in as she opened the door a second time that morning.  To her surprise, there stood Stefan Cassadine.  
  
"Good morning, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine," Stefan said with a nod of his head.  
  
"Mr. Cassadine, good morning.  I'm surprised to see you up so early."  Skye once again ran her fingers through her hair, feeling very self-conscious.  
  
"I'm sorry, I can see that I caught you too early.  I just wanted to thank you for your help last night.  Alexis told me that…"  
  
"What help last night?" Alan interrupted, his face red with anger.  "You'd better stay away from my daughter," Alan warned, advancing toward Stefan.  
  
"Dad, it's okay," Skye said, trying to intervene.  
  
"No, it's not okay," Alan retorted.  "I don't want you anywhere near this man."  
  
"I think I can decide that for myself, thank you very much," Skye huffed, before looking back at Stefan, who was trying to hide a smile.  
  
"Well, that's really all I had to say.  Perhaps I will see you around then."  With another nod of his head, Stefan walked away.  
  
Skye shut the door and leaned against it, already exhausted so early in the morning.   
  
"What was that all about?" Alan demanded.  
  
"I don't know what you are so mad about, it's my business, not yours," Skye retorted, then heard yet another knock.  "Oh, my God - what is it with this town?  Doesn't anyone sleep in?"  She yanked open the door in exasperation.  
  
"Hi, Skye," Stuart Chandler said, stepping into the room and enveloping Skye in a big bear hug.  
  
"Uncle Stuart, what… what are you doing here?"  Skye pulled away, looking at him in bewilderment, and then at his traveling companion.  "And Myrtle, what in the world…"  
  
"Hello, darling, it's good to see you," Myrtle said, patting her on the arm before brushing past Skye and on into the room.  "Oh, you must be Alan - I'm Myrtle, Rae's mother, and Skye's grandmother."  
  
"Of course," Alan said, trying to regain his composure from his earlier outburst.  "Welcome," he said, extending his hand to first Myrtle, then Stuart, who was all smiles.   
  
"I hope we haven't caught you at a bad time," Stuart said sheepishly, observing Skye's pajamas.  "We were so excited to see you, we just came straight from the airport."  
  
"Oh, no, Uncle Stuart - it's alright."  Skye resisted the urge to rub her temples as a headache began building.  "Why don't you all go down to The Grille and give me a chance to freshen up, and we can have brunch?" she suggested.  
  
"Actually, sweetheart, I need to get to the hospital, but I insist that you come and stay at the house, not here," Alan said, to which Skye shook her heard.  
  
"I appreciate the offer, but I think I'm going to stay here for awhile," Skye responded.  Alan began to protest, but Skye held up her hand.  "Look, I've made up my mind, and I don't really want to get into this right now, okay?" she said, raising her voice slightly.  
  
Alan nodded, surprised by Skye's hostility.  "Alright, I'll talk to you later, then."  Alan said good-bye to Stuart and Myrtle before leaving.  
  
"Well, darling, why don't we do as you said and go on downstairs before you meet us?" Myrtle suggested.  
  
"Thank you, Myrtle, that would be fine," Skye agreed quietly.  
  
After Stuart and Myrtle had gone, Skye sank down onto the bed and finally rubbed her temples.  God help me, she prayed.  I'm not ready to deal with all of these people yet.  Tell me what to do.  
  
Just then, the phone rang.  Skye, startled, answered it with hesitation.  "Hello?" she said cautiously.  
  
"Skye, it's Rae!"  
  
Skye groaned inwardly, this was the last thing she needed.  Is this some kind of a joke?  she thought as she looked heavenward.  
  
"Skye?  Are you there?  
  
"Yes, I am - Rae, I really can't talk right now.  Uncle Stuart just showed up with Myrtle, I'm supposed to be meeting them down at The Grille right now for brunch."  Skye bit her lip, partly hating herself for being so abrupt with Rae but knowing that she had to be that way, for her own good.  
  
"Oh, alright then.  I guess that I will just see you soon, then," Rae answered, unable to disguise the hope in her voice.  
  
"See me soon?  You mean you're coming to Port Charles?" Skye asked, not believing how simple her life had been just a half-hour ago.  
  
"Yes, it's a long story, but I'll tell you when John and I get there," Rae responded.  
  
John?!?  Skye was so confused but knew that it would lead to a long conversation if she dared ask a question.  
  
"Uh, okay then, see you soon," she said with apparent confusion.  
  
"Skye?"  
  
"Yes, Rae?"  
  
"Are - are you alright?" Rae asked with trepidation.  
  
Skye sighed inwardly, rolling her eyes.  Ever playing the therapist, her mother was.  "Yes, I'm fine," Skye said, sounding annoyed.  "Look, I really have to go, Rae."  
  
"Okay, then.  Bye."  The line went dead before Rae had a chance to hang up.  
  
  
  
"Well?" John asked, coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower.   
  
Rae sighed, a worried expression on her face.  "I don't know, John - I just don't know.  That girl is still such a puzzle to me, even though I now know more about her past than ever before.  I just don't know how to reach her…" Rae frowned as John came over to her and rubbed her shoulders.   
  
"Well, lady, you have a few hours to think about all of this on the plane.  But we do need to get going."  
  
"Oh, is it getting that late already?" Rae asked, suddenly disappointed.  
  
John couldn't help but laugh.  "Why, what were you hoping we'd have time for?" he teased.  
  
Rae fingered the towel wrapped around his waist, a mischievous smile on her lips.  "Oh, nothing in particular, Detective," she answered playfully, then suddenly yanked the towel off with one swift motion.  "But it looks like you have something in mind," she said with a big grin.  
  
"Well, I guess we do have a few extra minutes," John smiled as he leaned down to kiss her lips, then her nose and eyelids.  As Rae murmured her agreement, the two lovers once again sank down onto the bed, not yet ready to say good-bye to San Francisco.  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.5 Chapter 5  
  
   
  
Skye was about to leave her room to meet Stuart and Myrtle downstairs at The Grille when the phone rang yet again.  Who in the world could that be? she cringed, rolling her eyes as she quickly made her way to the phone.   
  
"Yes!" Skye answered impatiently.  
  
"Skye?  It's your fa… uh, it's Adam."  
  
Skye sucked in her breath, surprised to hear Adam's voice.  "Uh, hi.  How - how are you?"  
  
Back in Pine Valley, Adam rubbed his eyes as he tried to think of the right thing to say to his now-estranged adopted daughter. "I'm fine, sweetheart.  I'm back home, out of that damned hospital."  
  
"Oh, that's good."  Skye sank down onto the bed, not knowing what to say to the man she had called Daddy for so many years.  
  
"Skye, the reason I'm calling is because… well, Rae came to see me just before I got out of the hospital.  She told me some rather disturbing things, ah, things that I wasn't aware of, concerning you and Althea."  
  
Skye went numb all over as she remembered Adam requesting to see her after Rae told Adam everything in San Francisco.  Damn it, Rae!  Why did she open her big mouth?  
  
"Skye?  Are you there, sweetheart?"  Adam's voice was filled with concern, the most concern Skye had ever heard in it, not counting the night he had told her that she was adopted.  
  
"Yes, I'm here."  Skye chewed her lip, forming the right words in her mind.  "Look, I really can't get into this right now.  Myrtle and Uncle Stuart stopped by for an unexpected visit, they're waiting for me right now.  I'm already late to meet them."  
  
"Well, uh, I guess then this can wait.  But I do want to discuss this with you, sweetheart.  I can't travel much right now, have to take it easy - doctor's orders and all that garbage.  Why don't you call me when you are free to talk?"  
  
When pigs fly, Skye thought as she stifled a sigh.  "Sure, I'll do that.  Glad you're feeling better."  
  
"Thank you, Skye.  I'll talk to you soon, then," Adam said hopefully.  
  
"Bye."  Skye hung up the phone softly, resisting the urge to throw it against the wall.  Come on, Skye, pull yourself together, she tried to tell herself as she brushed her hair and attempted to steady her shaking hands.  Just don't think about it now.  
  
Quickly, Skye grabbed her purse and headed out the door.  As she waited for the elevator, she pursed her lips in anger.  Damn Rae, damn her for doing this to me.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I'm so sorry," Skye said breathlessly as she hurried over to Stuart and Myrtle's table.  "I had another phone call."  Skye had decided it best not to mention that it was Adam who had just called her.  
  
"Oh, it's no problem."  Stuart beamed at her.  "You look so pretty this morning, Skye.  It's really great to see you.  I've missed you."  
  
"I've missed you, too, Uncle Stuart," Skye said softly, casting her eyes downward.  She cleared her throat before looking up at the duo again, a bright smile on her face.  "So what do I owe this impromptu visit to?"  
  
Myrtle and Stuart looked at each other with apprehension, which didn't go unnoticed by Skye.  "Well, darling, we both hadn't seen you in such a long time, and we wanted to catch up a bit."  Myrtle put her hand over Skye's, smiling at her.   
  
"Oh, great," Skye said with a forced smile, slowly pulling her hand out from under Myrtle's.  "Let's start with you, Uncle Stuart.  What have you been up to lately?"  
  
Stuart took the bait and talked incessantly about his gallery, Scott's adventures in New York, and Marian, giving Skye a chance to collect her thoughts.  How much do they know?  What are they really doing here?   
  
"And Colby is just the most precious little girl," Stuart was saying, beaming.  "She reminds me a lot of you, Skye, when you were little."  
  
Skye snorted. "I don't know why, it's not like we're blood relatives," she said sarcastically, taking a sip of her water.  
  
"Oh dear, I… I didn't mean anything by it, really," Stuart stammered.  
  
Skye's heart sank, realizing that she had probably just hurt the one person in the world who loved her unconditionally.  "Oh, Uncle Stuart, I'm sorry.  I know you would never say anything to hurt me," Skye said sincerely, grasping his hand in hers.  
  
"Oh, Skye."  Stuart fought back tears, looking lovingly at the woman he would always consider his niece, blood ties or not.  "No, I never want to hurt you, not ever."  
  
"And that goes for me, too," Myrtle stated emphatically.   
  
The next hour flew by as the three enjoyed a lavish brunch.  Skye found herself forgetting her troubles as she laughed at the many stories that Myrtle and Stuart had to offer.  But then Myrtle became somber as she once again reached for Skye's hand.  
  
"Darling, I'm afraid we haven't been completely honest with the reason for our visit," she said hesitantly.  
  
"We've been worried about you," Stuart admitted with a sheepish grin.  
  
"Well, there is no need to worry about me, I'm quite capable of taking care of myself," Skye responded, trying to keep her tone light despite the growing knot in her stomach.  
  
"Skye, I talked to Adam…" Stuart began to say.  
  
"Uh, you know what," Skye said abruptly, interrupting Stuart.  "I, uh, just remembered something I need to do.  Why don't we continue this tonight, over a late dinner perhaps?"  
  
Stuart and Myrtle looked at each other with apprehension.  Finally, Myrtle nodded in response.  
  
Skye flashed them a big smile.  "Great, then I'll see you around 7:00 then?"  
  
"That's fine, Skye," Stuart agreed, then stood up to envelop her in yet another bear hug.  "I do love you, you know."  
  
"I know," Skye said quietly, blinking back tears.  "I love you, too, Uncle Stuart."  She then hastily left The Grille before she allowed her tears to flow.  
  
  
  
"Alan?  Hi, it's Rae."  It was late afternoon, Rae and John had just landed in Port Charles and were on their way to retrieve a rental car.  
  
"Rae!  How are you?"  Alan smiled at the sound of her voice as he sat down at his desk at the hospital.  
  
"I'm good, Alan.  I'm actually here in Port Charles.  I'm looking for Skye - have you seen her?" Rae asked, a trace of concern creeping into her voice.  
  
"Well, yes, as a matter of fact I saw her just this morning.  She's staying at the Port Charles Hotel.  She refused to stay at the house, for some reason."   
  
"Alan, how did she seem to you?" Rae questioned.  
  
Alan took off his glasses and leaned back in his chair, sighing.  "Well, I don't know what's going on, but something is definitely off with our daughter, Rae.  Are you going to try to see her?"  
  
"Yes, John and I will head over to the hotel as soon as we pick up our rental car," Rae told him, looking over at John and smiling at him.  John squeezed her hand as he returned her smile.  
  
"Oh, John is here with you?" Alan asked, trying to hide his surprise.   
  
"Yes.  In fact, we have some news to share, but that can wait."  Rae looked down at her left hand and stared at the ring, all smiles as she watched the light beams bounce off of the diamond.  
  
"Alright then.  Well, I hope to see you soon."   
  
"Alright, Alan.  Good-bye."  Rae hung up and impulsively kissed John, who pulled back at first but then kissed her back.   
  
When they broke away, John was grinning.  "And just what was that for, Dr. Cummings?"  
  
Rae returned his grin.  "It was a sudden urge, maybe it's this fiancé business - it's new to me, you know."  
  
"Yeah, I know.  But if this is what happens, then I like it."  John bent down and met her lips for another kiss.  
  
"You know, maybe we should call ahead to the Port Charles Hotel to reserve a room," Rae suggested after their lips parted.  
  
John grinned.  "That's a good idea, especially at the rate we're going now."  
  
Rae threw back her head and laughed, then blushed as John's penetrating stare washed over her.  "What?" she asked, now self-conscious.  
  
John shook his head, his eyes twinkling.  "God, woman, do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" he said with complete earnestness.  
  
Rae blushed an even deeper shade of red as she played with a small piece of her hair.  "Would you stop?  You're embarrassing me," she teased, only half- kidding.  Turning serious, Rae sighed.  "Skye is staying at the Port Charles Hotel.  Do you think I should call her room to see if she's there?"  
  
John sat in thought for a moment before answering.  "Rae, you know her better than I do, but if she's avoiding you, do you think it would be wise to call her first?"  
  
"So you're saying that we should probably just show up out of the blue?" Rae asked, a bit apprehensively.  
  
John shrugged his broad shoulders, then put his arm around the woman he loved more than anything in the world.  "You know what?  It will be okay.  Trust me."  
  
Rae looked up at John tenderly and wrapped her arm around his neck.  "I do trust you, John - completely."  They once again kissed as the shuttle bus pulled into the rental car lot.     
  
  
  
AJ grinned as he played with Michael on the floor of the Quartermaine study.  Michael was fascinated with trains, and AJ had just purchased the latest, state-of-the-art model train set for him.  The two were so engrossed in their play that they didn't hear the door slam.   
  
"Junior!" Ned snapped as he strode into the room, then softened a bit after seeing Michael playing nearby.   
  
AJ stood up and gave Ned one of his quirky smiles.  "What seems to be the problem, Ned?  I'm enjoying some play time with my son, so make it short."  
  
Ned sighed, still annoyed.  "Well, the problem, as you put it, is Skye."  
  
This took AJ by surprise.  "Skye?  What in the world brought her up?"  
  
"When is the last time you talked to your wicked half-sister?" Ned demanded.   
  
AJ held up his hands in protest.  "Easy, Ned.  I'm not going to listen to you badmouth my delightful sister, especially not in front of my son."  
  
"Fine, Junior, whatever.  Just answer the question," Ned said with exasperation, folding his arms.  
  
AJ scratched his head.  "Well, I guess the last time I talked to Skye was a couple of weeks ago.  She hasn't been returning my phone calls lately."  AJ frowned as this occurred to him.  "I wonder what's going on," he pondered aloud.  
  
"Well, you can ask her yourself, because she's here," Ned announced with a smirk.  
  
"Here?  In this house?" AJ asked.  
  
"No, Junior – don't you think if she were here she would've come straight to her staunchest ally?  No, I saw her last night at The Grille.  I think she's staying there at the hotel."  
  
"Hm."  AJ thought for a moment, seemingly forgetting that Ned was still there.  
  
"So?" Ned asked expectantly.  
  
"So, what?"  
  
"So, are you going to go and talk to her?  I don't want her coming back and wreaking more havoc on this family," Ned warned, shaking his finger at AJ.  
  
"Oh, Ned, would you cool it.  Besides, it's Skye's family, too – she has every right to wreak havoc, just like the rest of us do."  AJ grinned smugly at Ned.   
  
"Well, I tried," Ned muttered, thoroughly disgusted, before walking out of the room.  
  
AJ, now excited at the prospect of Skye finally meeting Michael, immediately dialed the Port Charles Hotel.  "Yes, Skye Chandler- Quartermaine's room, please."  When told there was no one there by that name, AJ became confused.  "Oh, okay then.  Thanks."  He hung up the phone just as Alan entered the study.  
  
"Hi, AJ.  Michael, what are you playing with there?"  Alan went over to Michael and knelt down, talking with him about his new model train set.  AJ watched with gratification, happy that Michael would know what it felt like to be loved unconditionally by his grandfather – something that AJ had never experienced with Edward.   
  
AJ cleared his throat to get his father's attention for a moment.  "Uh, Dad, Ned just told me that Skye is back in town."  
  
Alan patted Michael's head as he stood up.  "Yes, I know."  
  
"You do?" AJ said incredulously.  "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Well, I only just found out this morning, AJ," Alan said, somewhat irritated.  "Ned told me that he saw Skye at The Grille last night, so I went to see her."  He paused and walked over to the wet bar, pouring himself a drink.  
  
"So, how is she?" AJ asked, growing impatient.  
  
Alan sighed as he turned back toward AJ.  "To tell you the truth, AJ, I'm really not sure.  Something is going on with her, that much I do know.  I invited her to come and stay here, but she wouldn't hear of it."  
  
AJ frowned as he rubbed his chin.  "I'm going to go talk to her," he said determinedly.  "Can you watch Michael for a bit?  I don't think right now is the time for him to meet Skye."  
  
"Sure," Alan nodded.  "AJ, good luck – I think your sister needs some support right now."  
  
AJ nodded, then said good-bye to Michael before leaving for the Port Charles Hotel.  
  
  
  
"Oh, I don't believe it!  Rae!" Myrtle bolted out of her chair at The Grille and across the room to give her daughter a hug.   
  
Mother and daughter had a warm reunion before walking arm-in-arm with Myrtle over to their table, followed by John.  
  
"Stuart, how nice to see you again.  This is John," Rae introduced John to Stuart.  
  
"Nice to meet you," John said with a smile, then looked around the room.  "Where's Skye?  Isn't she meeting you for dinner?"  
  
"I'm right here," came the reply from behind him.  Skye made her way over to the table, eyeing John and Rae indifferently.  
  
"Skye, hi!"  Rae moved to hug her daughter, but Skye was too quick for her, going instead to the other side of the table and pulling out the chair next to Stuart.  
  
Rae, trying to hide her hurt and disappointment at her daughter's brush- off, followed suit and sat down across from Skye and next to Myrtle at the table.  
  
"Hello, Skye, how are you?" John asked as he gazed at her with his penetrating stare.  
  
"John."  Skye's one-word, clipped greeting immediately sounded off alarm bells in John's head.  
  
The rest of the table seemed to be trying to avoid any kind of confrontation.  Skye observed Myrtle pat Rae's arm comfortingly, the gesture made Skye want to stand up and yell, "Why did any of this have to happen?  Why couldn't you just keep your damn mouth shut, Rae?"  Why couldn't I keep my mouth shut, she thought sullenly.  
  
"Skye,"  Stuart was saying.  Skye looked up to see the entire table staring at her.  "Skye, do you know what you want to order?"  Her uncle looked at her with concern, yet there was always that hope in his eyes - hope and faith that everything would be alright.  Skye felt like throwing herself into his arms to get some of that hope, faith, and peace, but she knew it wasn't that easy to come by.  
  
"Uh, I think I'll just have a dinner salad," Skye said coolly, making an effort to keep her voice even while avoiding eye contact with everyone.  This dinner is going to be hell to get through, she thought, resisting the urge to run out the door.   
  
  
  
  
  
The table was eerily quiet as someone tried to think of a conversation- starter. Finally, Rae broke the ice.  
  
"Well, since everyone is here, I guess there's no time like the present. John and I have an announcement," she said, her eyes sparkling.  
  
"Well, don't keep us in suspense, darling. What is it?" Myrtle asked, somewhat amused at her daughter's giddiness.  
  
Rae looked at John, who nodded his agreement that now was the appropriate time. Rae held out her left hand as John said, "I've asked Rae to make me the happiest man in the world," he said, as the table erupted in joyous outbursts.  
  
"Oh, darling, how wonderful! It's simply marvelous news!" Myrtle exclaimed, standing up to hug and kiss both the bride and groom-to-be.  
  
"Oh, that's great news! Congratulations!" Stuart stood up also, kissed Rae on the cheek, and shook John's hand. "That's so exciting, a wedding! Isn't it, Skye?"  
  
Everyone turned to look at Skye, who seemed unfazed by the news. She took a sip of her club soda, relishing the moment of having everyone's attention on her, waiting for her reaction.  
  
"Yes, how lovely for the two of you," she said demurely. After a dramatic pause, with everyone hanging on her every word, Skye narrowed her eyes and looked straight at Rae, her eyes as cold as ice. "Maybe you'll have better luck this time around, Mother. As long as Detective Sykes here is satisfied at home, he won't have to go looking for a mistress like poor Daniel did."  
  
Rae shrank back as if Skye had slapped her, while John's face became contorted with rage. "Skye," he said quietly, trying to control his anger, "I suggest you apologize to Rae if you want to remain at this table."  
  
"Well, then, I guess I'll be going," Skye responded flippantly.  
  
"Skye, how could you?" Myrtle started in, but Skye held her hand up.  
  
"No need to start in on me, Grandmommy-dearest. I've suddenly lost my appetite anyway." With that, Skye gathered up her things, stood up, and sauntered out of the restaurant, her head held high. If she had looked back, she would've seen a stunned group at the table.  
  
Rae started to cry softly after Skye's abrupt departure. John rubbed her back and whispered in her ear, trying to ease her despair. "She didn't mean it, Rae, you know that. Let it go. You know I love you. I'm not Daniel."  
  
"Oh, of course I know that, John. It's just… how could she be so cruel?" Rae wiped away tears as more continued to fall on her cheeks. "I thought we were making such progress. I don't understand it. What went wrong?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Skye strode into the Port Charles Hotel lobby, trying to control her shaking. Inside, her heart was breaking as she kept seeing over and over the look on Rae's face as she had uttered those hateful words. Shaking her head, Skye tried to decide where to go that no one would find her.  
  
"Skye!"  
  
Skye jumped at the sound of her name, afraid it was someone who had just witnessed the scene in The Grille. To her surprise, she turned and saw AJ walking toward her.  
  
"AJ!" Skye said with relief, smiling at her brother as he enveloped her in a hug. "What… how did you know…?"  
  
AJ smiled and shrugged. "Hey, you know me, I have my ways of finding you." The two siblings may have had their differences when Skye first came to town, but they had actually grown closer through many late-night phone calls while Skye was in San Francisco. But those calls had ended after the night Skye broke down in front of Rae and cut herself off from everyone, AJ and Alan included.  
  
"So, what are you doing back here? Are you going to stay? And why won't you come and stay at the house?" AJ asked, eyeing her suspiciously as he noticed her eyes darting back to The Grille's entrance. "And what just happened in there, may I ask? You keep looking in there like you expect some monster to come out of there any minute and eat you alive.":  
  
Skye smiled as she pulled AJ away from The Grille entrance. "Look, AJ, it's good to see you, but I really can't talk right now. I, uh," she thought quickly, "I have a date, actually."  
  
AJ was taken aback by this news. "A date, huh? Well, don't you think your brother should approve of this date?"  
  
Skye laughed, trying to look coy. "Oh, I don't think you know him. I met him on the plane yesterday, he's only in town for a few days. But, you know what they say - when opportunity knocks…"  
  
"Yeah, I guess you have to go for it, huh?" AJ continued to look at her with skepticism. "Are you sure that's all that is going on here, Sis?"  
  
"Of course it is," Skye answered nonchalantly, then looked down at her watch. "Oh, but I really have to go, I don't want him to think I stood him up."  
  
"Well, where is this date? I can drive you there," AJ offered.  
  
"Oh, now how would that look? My brother dropping me off on a first date?" Skye teased, then kissed AJ on the cheek. "I'll call you."  
  
AJ, not knowing what to think, looked after her retreating figure. "Yeah, something is definitely up with you, Sis," he said to himself, frowning with worry.  
  
Skye had the doorman hail her a taxi. Not knowing where she wanted to go, she told the driver to just drive for awhile. Leaning back into the cheap leather seat, her mind began to wander back to the past months' events.  
  
No, no, I won't do this to myself. She shook her head as if the motion would clear her head, make her forget everything. She wished it were that simple. Realizing that the best thing right now would be to drown out the voices in her head, she thought of a place where there would be loud music.  
  
"Uh, could you take me to Luke's, please?" she requested. The cabbie nodded his agreement.  
  
  
  
Stepping into the colorful bar, Skye took in the atmosphere of the place. Just as she was taking off her coat, she felt a hand on her arm.  
  
"Well, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine, we meet again." Stefan Cassadine smiled down at her.  
  
"Mr. Cassadine," Skye greeted him, thinking that her luck might be about to change.  
  
"Please, call me Stefan, I insist."  
  
"Very well then. And I insist that you call me Skye."  
  
"Please, won't you join me for a drink?" Stefan motioned to a nearby table.  
  
Skye nodded her assent, the followed Stefan to his table, where he had been sitting alone, listening to the band.  
  
Even with the music playing in the background and a handsome man sitting next to her, Skye's mind started to go back to past events. She saw Rae's horrified and hurt statement at The Grille. She saw her father, Adam, lying in a hospital bed. She saw Althea's body lying on the bathroom floor. She saw her new father, Alan, when she revealed that she was his daughter. She saw all of the Quartermaines looking at her with hate and disgust.  
  
A waitress came over to their table. "What can I get you, Miss?" she asked Skye.  
  
Skye looked over at Stefan, who was gazing at her expectantly as he swirled around Scotch in his glass. "I'll have what he's having," she told the waitress, feeling her heartbeat quicken even as she uttered the words.  
  
Skye had a fight going on within her, a fight that no one could see but herself. One voice was telling her not to throw all of those years of sobriety down the drain; the other voice was telling her that she was worthless, that her entire life was a mistake, that she shouldn't have even been born, that she had no reason not to drink.  
  
The waitress came back and set the glass down in front of Skye. Stefan, unaware of Skye's inner turmoil, picked up his glass and leaned toward Skye.  
  
"Skye, may this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he toasted, lifting his glass.  
  
Skye lifted her glass to clink with his. "Yes, to a beautiful friendship," she agreed, then put her mouth to the glass. The amber liquid burned as it rolled onto her tongue, then down her throat and into her stomach. Skye felt her eyes watering, she wasn't sure if it was from the burning sensation or from the fact that she had just lost everything that she had worked so hard for over the past ten years. Deciding she wasn't going to show any weakness tonight, Skye finished the rest of her drink and motioned to the waitress.  
  
"This time, make it a double, please."  
  
   
  
   
  
Chapter 6  
  
   
  
Skye lazily opened one eye and groaned as the light streaming in from the window intensified the pounding in her head. Growing frightened when she didn't immediately recognize her surroundings, Skye sat up quickly and then instantly regretted it as a wave of nausea swept over her. She finally realized that she was in what appeared to be a hotel room similar to hers at the Port Charles Hotel. As another wave of nausea hit her, Skye threw off the covers, just barely making it to the bathroom.  
  
What have I done? She was scaring herself as events of the previous night came flooding back to her – the Scotch, Stefan Cassadine, dancing close with him at Luke's… but then there was a big chunk of time missing – she had blacked out.  
  
"Oh, my God," Skye muttered as she leaned back against the cool tile wall of the bathroom, wishing the room would stop spinning.  
  
After a few minutes, Skye stood up on wobbly legs, resisting the urge to worship the porcelain goddess once again. I have to get out of here, she thought to herself as she picked up her clothes off of the floor. As she sat on the bed and put on her sandals, she noticed a note lying on the bedside table.  
  
Skye,  
  
You were wonderful last night. I went out to pick up some fresh baguettes and cappuccino.  
  
Stefan  
  
Groaning once again, Skye crumpled the note into a ball, then hurried out of the hotel room as quickly as she could. With any luck, she'd be able to avoid running into Mr. Cassadine this morning.  
  
  
  
  
  
"You're up early." John grinned at Rae from the bed that she had recently vacated, then watched as she put on her jewelry with shaking hands. "Where are you going? What's the rush? I was hoping for a 'good morning' kiss, at the very least." John's attempt to make Rae smile failed as she turned to face him.  
  
"John, I'm sorry, but I have to talk to Skye. My stomach is in knots, and I know I'm not going to feel a bit better until we work this out." She gave him an apologetic smile before picking up her purse.  
  
John rose from the bed and walked over to Rae. He rested his hands on her shoulders as he looked deep into her beautiful eyes. "Look, I understand why you want to see Skye. Rae, I just don't want you to get hurt any more than you already have. Are you sure you want to do this?" Seeing her nod with determination, John sighed, then kissed her forehead. "Okay. I'll be here waiting for you."  
  
"Thank you, John." Rae reached up and put her hand on the side of his face, then leaned in and kissed him. The two finally pulled apart, Rae a bit flushed and John a bit surprised but happy nonetheless. "That was your 'good morning' kiss," Rae grinned before walking out the door.  
  
  
  
  
  
Skye kept her head down on the elevator, dreadfully aware of her disheveled appearance. Once the elevator doors opened onto her floor, Skye made a beeline for her room. She had just inserted the card key into the lock on her door when she heard footsteps behind her.  
  
"Skye?" The way Rae said her name, with a mixture of pity and fear, made Skye even more light-headed than she already felt.  
  
Skye took a deep breath, then turned around to face her mother, a stony expression on her face. "What do you want?" she asked in a clipped tone.  
  
Rae studied Skye, frowning as she recognized that Skye was wearing the same clothes she'd had on the night before at The Grille. Debating whether or not to point it out, Rae didn't realize how long she had been silent until Skye broke into her thoughts.  
  
"If you're not going to say anything, I'm going in my room." Skye turned and started to open her door, but Rae grabbed her arm.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Skye hissed, yanking her arm from Rae's grasp and backing away from her.  
  
"Skye, I…" Rae searched for the right words, "I don't know what I did, or what you think I did, to get you so upset with me." Rae looked despairingly at Skye, who crossed her arms in defiance.  
  
"What I think you did? Oh, no – no way – I know what you did, Rae. And I'm never going to forgive you for it." Skye once again turned back to open her door.  
  
"What did I do?" Rae cried out, exasperated. "Skye, I don't know what this is all about. Please, tell me, so I at least have a chance to defend myself!"  
  
Skye whirled around, her face contorted with rage. "You don't know what you did?" she scoffed. "You opened your mouth, Mother, that's what you did!" Skye was yelling now as she moved closer to Rae. "You had to run and tell Adam and Myrtle and Stuart and John and the whole world everything about me, didn't you?" Rae didn't answer but just looked at Skye with alarm. "DIDN'T YOU?!?"  
  
"Skye, let's go into your room," Rae suggested as people began to poke their heads out of rooms up and down the hall.  
  
"No, I don't think so. I've said all I need to say. You need to go!" Skye fought off a wave of nausea once more and steadied herself against the wall. Rae reached out to help steady her. "I said, don't touch me!" Skye screamed, causing Rae to flinch.  
  
"Okay, okay – calm down, Skye, please." Rae took a step backward in an attempt to appease Skye. As Skye turned yet again toward her door, Rae called out to her. "I just have one thing to ask, and then I'll leave you alone, Skye."  
  
Skye leaned against the door, not even looking at Rae. "What?" she spat.  
  
In one swift move, Rae stood inches from Skye's face, looking intently into her eyes. "Have you been drinking?" She watched closely as alarm flashed in Skye's eyes, then was replaced by anger once again.  
  
"What? No, I haven't been drinking!" Skye stepped back and looked down at the floor.  
  
"Skye, I can smell alcohol on your breath," Rae said quietly, then was surprised when Skye laughed derisively.  
  
"Really, Rae." Skye turned once again to her mother, looking at her with contempt. "Is that the best you can do to deflect attention away from your own behavior?"  
  
"Skye, you're in the same clothes as last night. I can smell it on your breath! My God, what conclusion am I supposed to come to?" Rae could feel the heat rising to her face as she became more and more frustrated.  
  
"How about this, Mother?" Skye sneered. "I don't care what conclusion you come to. In fact, I don't care if I ever see you again in my life! Or better yet, why don't you just stay the hell out of my life?" Skye turned, opened the door, and slammed it shut.  
  
Rae stood in front of Skye's door, tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't even begin to suspect that her daughter was having the exact same reaction on the other side of the door.  
  
  
  
"Morning," AJ greeted Alan and Monica half-heartedly as he walked into the Quartermaine sitting room.  
  
"Well, you don't sound too happy," Monica observed with a raised eyebrow. "Alan, get me some more coffee, would you?"  
  
Alan stood up and obliged as AJ also poured himself a cup of coffee.  
  
"So, what's going on, AJ?" Alan asked, turning to look at his eldest son. "What is this mood of yours all about? Did something happen with Michael?"  
  
AJ took a sip of coffee before answering. "No, it's not Michael." He stood in thought for a minute as Alan and Monica looked on, confused.  
  
"Are you going to tell us what is going on?" Monica asked with slight exasperation, standing up and moving over to where her husband and son were standing.  
  
"It's Skye," AJ said simply with a grimace.  
  
Monica rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. "Oh, great – what has she done now?"  
  
"Would you please lay off my daughter?" Alan demanded. "Let AJ talk, for goodness sake."  
  
"I went to see her at the hotel last night," AJ began. "I can't put my finger on it, but something was definitely up."  
  
"Well, of course something was up, she's always up to something," Monica observed wryly but then stopped when Alan gave her a warning glare.  
  
"Go on, AJ," Alan directed.  
  
"Like I said, Dad, I'm not sure what is going on, but she just seemed… different. I'm not sure how, or why, but she made up some story about having a date to avoid talking to me. And she refused to come back and live here. I just don't know what to make of it."  
  
Monica retrieved her coffee and sat back down on the sofa with a sigh. "I can't believe Skye wouldn't want to come back here," she commented.  
  
"AJ, I don't know what's going on with her, either. I saw her yesterday morning – she was acting a bit strangely, yes, but then I haven't seen her in quite some time. Maybe she just needs some time on her own to become adjusted to Port Charles again. Besides, Rae's here now to help her out." Alan smiled as he mentioned Rae's name.  
  
Monica put down her cup and looked at Alan sharply. "Rae is here?"  
  
"Yes, Monica, but she brought her boyfriend with her," Alan remarked.  
  
"Oh, well then in that case, we should have them over for dinner!" Monica had the grin of a Cheshire cat at the news of Rae bringing John to town with her.  
  
AJ cleared his throat. "Uh, back to the subject at hand, what do you think we should do about this, Dad?"  
  
Monica stood up and walked over to AJ once again. "Look, I know you weren't necessarily asking my opinion on this, but maybe Skye is in fact trying to turn over a new leaf. Maybe she wants to make a fresh start here, and not under the shadow of this family."  
  
Alan turned and looked at Monica in surprise. "Does this mean you're willing to give her another chance?"  
  
Monica hedged a bit. "I don't know about that exactly, but maybe she is trying to change."  
  
Alan looked at his watch. "I'm late for a hospital meeting, I have to go. AJ, can we talk about this more later?"  
  
"Sure," AJ said, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Mom, thanks for offering some advice. Listen, I've got to go and pick up Michael." AJ strode out of the room, hands in pockets and shoulders hunched. It was obvious he was still concerned about his sister.  
  
Monica let out a sigh as she once again sat down with her cup of coffee. "What are you up to, Skye?" she mused aloud. "Whatever it is, I'm going to find out."  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.6 Chapter 7  
  
   
  
John looked up, startled, as Rae barged into their hotel room and slammed the door.  
  
"That's it, I've had it, John!  I can't deal with her, she's not rational!"  Rae braced herself against a table, blinking back her tears of hurt and anger.  
  
John came over to Rae and put his arms around her tightly, not quite knowing what to say.  Rae let herself be held for a few moments, sinking back into her fiancé's strong arms.  Finally, she gently broke free of his grasp and started pacing the room.  
  
"I just don't know what to do, John.  She's such a loose cannon. She opened up to me in San Francisco.  I thought we were making progress.  I thought she trusted me!"  Rae gritted her teeth, remembering Skye's face as she told Rae to stay out of her life.   
  
Rae shook her head as she thought back to her and Skye's latest argument.  "I don't know, John, I don't know.  Maybe the best thing to do would be to leave Port Charles."  Rae looked solemnly to John for his reaction.  
  
John's eyes widened at her suggestion of leaving.  "Rae, you know I want to support you, but you seem to be forgetting something."  
  
"What?" Rae asked, clearly puzzled.  
  
"I just landed a great job here in Port Charles.  Now, if you really want to leave, then I could always find a job elsewhere…"  
  
"No, John, no, I'm sorry."  Rae bit her lip, upset with herself over forgetting such an important detail about John's life.  "I'll work it out, somehow.  I… I guess I'll just have to figure out how to either get along with Skye or how to avoid her, as much as I hate that idea."  Exhausted, Rae flopped down on the bed.  
  
John moved behind her and started to rub her shoulders.  "We'll get through this, we always have," he reminded her softly.   
  
Rae turned around and looked at John with tenderness.  "I know we will.  I can get through anything with you by my side."  
  
John gathered her in his arms.  Rae allowed him to hold her once again.  She always felt so safe in his arms  She tried to push away the thoughts in her head, of Skye's ugly words, and of her suspicions that Skye was once again drinking.  
  
  
  
  
  
Skye woke up to a knock at the door.  She didn't remember falling asleep, but she guessed that she must have crashed on the bed just as soon as she had come in the door, since she hadn't even bothered to take off her shoes.  Her head still pounding from her hangover, Skye looked through the peephole to see who her visitor was.  
  
"Skye?  Are you in there?"  Stefan Cassadine stood on the other side of the door.  From Skye's perspective, he didn't look too happy.  
  
Stefan continued to knock on the door.  "Skye, if you're in there, please open the door.  We need to talk."  
  
Skye stepped away from the door, almost as if Stefan could see her.  She bit her lip and waited until his persistent knocking finally subsided.  Breathing a sigh of relief, Skye walked slowly to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror.  "You're a mess," she muttered disgustedly at her reflection.  When had everything gone so wrong?  She had a right to be angry with Rae, didn't she?  Rae had opened her mouth, and now so many people knew what she had to endure during her childhood.  It made her feel weak and vulnerable, two emotions she abhorred.   
  
Skye decided a shower was just what she needed to clear her head.  Even thought the hot water felt like a little slice of heaven to her aching body, nothing could rid her of the headache caused from last night's inebriation.  Skye stayed in the shower until she felt like she was turning into a prune.  Reluctantly, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.  
  
She had barely put on her robe and wrapped a towel around her wet hair when she heard another knock on her door.  "Ugh, what now?" she grumbled, once again looking through the peephole.  Surprised to see whom her visitor was, Skye opened the door.  
  
"Hello, Skye."  Monica's expression was anything but jovial.  
  
"Monica, hello.  Umm... would you like to come in?"  Skye opened the door further and allowed Monica into her room.  
  
"Look, Skye, I'll get right to the point."  Monica moved closer to Skye, her eyes never leaving Skye's.  "I want the truth, Skye - what are you doing back here, and what do you hope to gain by playing on Alan and AJ's feelings?"  
  
"What in the world are you babbling about, Monica?" Skye demanded, perplexed.   
  
"I'm talking about the fact that you show up here, out of the blue, and don't even tell anyone that you're back in town.  Then you refuse to accept Alan's invitation to move back into the house, making him feel guilty."  
  
"Oh, he's finally feeling some guilt, is he?" Skye sneered.  "Well, it's about time, after all I've been through thanks to him and dear old Granddad."  
  
"Would you give it a rest with this 'poor little girl' routine?"  Monica glared at Skye, clearly exasperated.  "Look, you are making my husband and my son miserable by not communicating with them.  I don't understand it, but for some reason they want you to be a part of their lives.  So either be a part of their lives full-time, or leave once and for all."  
  
Skye's face was unreadable as she got right in Monica's face.  "Gee, I bet I know which choice you want me to make, Step-mommy," she said in a low voice.   
  
Monica backed away slowly.  "Look, I've come to say what I wanted to say.  The decision is yours."  She walked to the door but turned back before leaving.  "Just think about the effect your actions have on other people."  
  
As soon as she left, Skye picked up a pillow from the bed and threw it against the wall.  "How my actions affect others?  What right does she have to go off on me like that?  What about how other people's actions have affected my entire life!" Skye was screaming now, working herself into hysterics.   
  
She sank down onto the bed, holding her face in her hands.  "No, I am not going to let that woman get me all worked up.  It's not worth it.  None of this is worth it."  She rubbed her throbbing temples, reminiscing about the details that she could recall from the previous night.  She just wanted the pain to stop.  As her eyes roamed the room, they came to rest on the locked wet bar.  Normally, Skye didn't even bother to retrieve the key for it, making it all the eaiser to resist temptation.  However, in her haste to check into the hotel this time, she had failed to give the key back to the front desk clerk.   
  
Skye sat there, weighing her options.  She remembered how good it felt last night to take that first drink, how it had eased her mind and numbed her feelings.  She was so tired of feeling everything, of dealing with it all head-on, with nothing to cushion the pain.  "It's just not fair," she murmured as she stood up and walked over to the key.  Slowly opening the wet bar, Skye picked her poison - vodka.  She greedily downed the little bottle, then sighed as the warmth from the alcohol coursed through her body.  Opening another bottle, Skye made a decision.  If she wanted to follow through with it and not chicken out, she would have to act on it immediately.  
  
  
  
  
  
Stuart and Myrtle sat having lunch with Rae and John.  The foursome were unusually quiet, all of them with a lot on their minds.   
  
Stuart broke the silence.  "Uh, I'm thinking of going back to Pine Valley soon," he announced to the table with his usual smile.   
  
"Stuart, you didn't mention that to me!" Myrtle exclaimed, surprised and a bit hurt that her friend hadn't confided in her.  
  
"Well, I was just thinking about Skye and how it probably isn't helping for me to be here right now.  She seems to want her space."  Stuart smiled somewhat sadly as he recalled Skye's recent behavior.  
  
"I saw Skye earlier this morning," Rae announced, frowning dejectedly.  "We, uh, had another knock-down drag-out, so to speak."  Rae looked at John, who grasped her hand in his, a gesture of reassurance.  "I've decided to give Skye some space myself, although I will be staying in Port Charles."  
  
"We will be staying in Port Charles," John corrected her with a smile.    
  
"Well, darlings, maybe I should go back to Pine Valley as well.  I do need to get back to run the boutique."  Myrtle looked over at Rae's crestfallen face.  "Oh, sweetheart, I will stay if you want me to."  
  
"No, Mama, I know you need to get back."  Rae patted Myrtle's hand reassuringly.  "I'll be fine, I have John here.  Besides, we will talk soon about wedding plans!"  Rae smiled at the thought of marrying the wonderful man beside her.   
  
"Yes, that's true enough."  Myrtle stood, along with Stuart.  The foursome said their good-byes, then parted ways.  
  
"Myrtle, before I go and pack, I think I am going to say good-bye to Skye,": Stuart told her in the elevator.   
  
Myrtle looked over at her friend with fondness.  "Dear Stuart, ever the optimist.  Alright then, I hope it goes well, for your sake as well as that troubled girl's."  
  
Stuart waved his goodbye as he exited the elevator on Skye's floor.  As he approached her door, he was surprised to find it wide open.  Peeking in, Stuart saw a bellhop loading luggage onto a cart.  The bellhop spotted Stuart.  
  
"Something I can help you with, sir?" he asked as he finished loading up the cart.  
  
"Oh, hi.  Yes, I was looking for the young lady staying in this room."  Stuart grinned at the man.  
  
"Well, she is preparing to leave, as you can see.  She's just, ah, freshening up."  He grimaced slightly, confusing Stuart.  
  
Just then, Skye entered the room from the bathroom.  "Oh, wonderful, you're all ready to go," she said as she walked over to the bellhop a bit unsteadily.  
  
"Uh, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine, you have a visitor," the bellhop pointed out.  
  
Skye's face turned white when she saw Stuart.  "Uncle Stuart!"  Skye tried to pull Stuart out into the hallway, but Stuart had already witnessed enough to know what was going on.  
  
"Could you give us a few minutes alone?" Stuart asked the bellhop, who nodded and left the room.  
  
Skye stood in the middle of the room, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "What a surprise, I didn't know you were still here."  
  
"Skye, what is going on?" Stuart asked gently, his eyes filled with concern.  
  
"What do you mean?" Skye asked, walking past Stuart and crossing her arms.  
  
Stuart walked over to the open wet bar and picked up an empty liquor bottle.  "This," he said simply.  
  
Skye whirled around, her eyes wide.  She couldn't believe that she had forgotten to close the door to the wet bar.  How was she going to explain herself out of this mess?  
  
  
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.7 Chapter 8  
  
   
  
Author's Note: In my story, Kristina never existed, and Alexis did not fall in love with Sonny.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Uncle Stuart, it's not what you think," Skye stammered, quickly trying to come up with a plausible story.  
  
"It's okay, Skye.  You can tell me."  Stuart walked over to Skye and grasped her shoulders, smiling encouragingly at her.  
  
For a brief moment, Skye considered telling Stuart everything - the pain she was going through night and day, why she had started to drink again.  That thought quickly vanished when she pictured in her mind the look of disappointment on Stuart's face.  
  
Skye pulled away and walked over to the open wet bar.  She picked up an empty bottle and turned back around to Stuart.  "The damn bellhop, I found him in here rummaging through my wet bar," she said, feigning annoyance.  "I was all set to leave, so I didn't want to cause a scene.  I mean, what good would that have done?"   
  
Stuart slowly nodded his head.  "Okay," he said with a smile.  
  
Skye tried to hide her surprise.  Did he really buy the story, or was Stuart just playing along?  "Well, anyway, what did you come here for, Uncle Stuart?"  
  
"Oh, I came to tell you good-bye.  Myrtle and I are going back to Pine Valley."  
  
Skye felt a twinge inside, just hearing Pine Valley mentioned made her think of Adam and of the life she used to live there.  As complicated as it had seemed at the time, it had been the only life she knew, and she was comfortable with it.  Suddenly, everything had been turned upside-down, and now her life was filled with chaos at every turn.  
  
Skye forced herself to put on a happy face.  "Well, I'm certainly glad you did come to say good-bye.  It was great to see you, Uncle Stuart."  She hugged Stuart, who hugged her back tightly.  
  
"It's always good to see you, Skye."  Stuart pulled back from the hug and looked at her tenderly.  "I love you, don't forget that."  
  
Skye swallowed over the lump in her throat.  "I won't," she said softly.  
  
"And if you ever need to talk, or need anything else, you call me," Stuart instructed.  
  
Skye nodded and waved good-bye as Stuart disappeared down the hall.  Shutting the door, she leaned against it and let the tears flow.  She had once again made a mess out of her life.  
  
  
  
"What do you mean, she was getting ready to leave?"  Rae listened intently as Myrtle described second-hand Stuart's encounter with Skye the night before, or at least the part that Stuart had later told Myrtle. "Well, Mama, I'm just going to have to go and see what my daughter is up to."  
  
Rae said her good-bye to Myrtle, then yelped as something cold landed on her neck.  "What the…"  
  
She turned around to find a grinning John with an ice cube in his hand.  "I thought you could use a cool-down, you seem to have gotten all worked up on the phone."  His eyes twinkled mischievously as he awaited her reaction.  
  
Rae pursed her lips together, trying to stop her smile from spreading.  "All worked up, huh?  And the best you could do was to offer to cool me down?" she teased, moving in closer to him.  "Detective, I have to say that I am rather disappointed."  
  
John sighed and moved away.  "I hate to break the mood we have going here, but I have to ask… what has Skye done now?"  
  
Rae frowned and turned back toward the phone, shaking her head.  "Mama said Skye was all packed and ready to leave when Stuart said good-bye to her last night."  
  
John thought for a moment.  "Well maybe that's a good thing. She could have been moving back into the Quartermaine mansion."  
  
"Yeah, maybe," Rae mused aloud.  Suddenly, she turned around to John, a look of determination on her face.  "You know what, Detective?"  
  
"No, I certainly don't, Dr. Cummings, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me," he said with an irresistible grin.  
  
"I think," Rae moved closer once again to John and put her hands around his waist, "that it's time I stopped worrying so much about Skye.  I think it's time to start making plans for what is going to be the happiest day of my life."  
  
"And what day would that be?" John asked with feigned innocence.  
  
Rae took a playful slap at John's shoulder, grinning.  "The day I marry you!"  
  
"Oh, yes, that day."  John looked deep into Rae's eyes as he put one hand on the side of her face.  "You mean the day you make me the happiest man alive."  He leaned down and kissed her, softly at first, then more passionately.  
  
"On second thought, the wedding plans can wait," Rae said breathlessly as the two moved over to the bed.  
  
  
  
"She checked out?" Alan asked incredulously.  "Okay, thank you."  Frustrated, he slammed down the phone in the study, just as Monica came in.  
  
"Good morning," Monica greeted him as she poured herself a cup of coffee.  
  
"Skye has checked out of the Port Charles Hotel," Alan announced, noting Monica's raised eyebrows.  "Do you know anything about this?"  
  
Monica threw up her hands.  "Why should I know about anything that Skye does?" she asked wryly.   
  
"Morning, all," AJ said as he strolled in.  
  
"Where's Michael?" Alan asked.  
  
"Oh, he's with the nanny at the moment, but I'm going to take him to school in a few minutes."  AJ poured himself a cup of coffee, then noticed that both of his parents were wearing frowns. "What's got you both in such a rotten mood on such a beautiful morning?"  
  
"Skye checked out of the hotel," Alan informed him.  "I'm just worried about her, that's all."  
  
"Well, maybe your daughter doesn't want you worrying about her, Alan," Monica said, exasperated.  "Honestly, the way you two just fawn all over her is sickening."  
  
AJ looked at his mother as if she had grown another head.  "And what am I supposed to do, Mom?  Wish that Skye didn't exist, like you do?"  Not waiting for an answer, AJ strode out of the room.  
  
Alan started to leave, too.  "Where are you going?" Monica called after him.  
  
"To find my daughter!" Alan yelled as he left the room.  
  
  
  
"Well, Skye, we meet again."  Stefan Cassadine smiled as he looked at the beautiful redhead who he had recently shared a passionate night with.  "Have you been avoiding me?"  
  
Skye looked up from her barstool.  She had hoped to come to Luke's and not run into anyone she knew. Luke had actually rented her a room upstairs, where she had stored her luggage.  The room was small, much too small for Skye's taste, but it would do.  
  
"Mr. Cassadine," Skye crooned, not letting on to her displeasure at running into him.   "Why, I haven't been avoiding you at all.  I've just had some… family matters to take care of."  
  
Stefan sat down beside Skye.  "I'm glad," he said, smiling at her.   
  
Skye studied Stefan as he ordered a drink.  He was very dashing, in a very sophisticated way.  She blushed and turned her head when he caught her staring.  
  
"Would you like another?" Stefan asked, pointing to her drink.  
  
"Uh, no, thanks," Skye answered, sipping her club soda with lime.  
  
"I'm actually glad I ran into you, Skye.  I didn't want you to think I had poor manners by not contacting you sooner, although I did try to get you in your hotel room."  
  
"Oh, you did, did you?" Skye flirted, but noticed that Stefan didn't return her smile.  
  
"I've decided to leave Port Charles."  Seeing Skye's look of surprise, Stefan held up his hand.  "This has nothing to do with the other night.  You see, I've been cleared of all wrongdoing in a legal matter, and I now feel the need to explore other areas of the world."  
  
"I know what you mean," Skye said wryly, leaning against the counter.  
  
The two chatted amicably for a few minutes before Stefan bid Skye adieu.  "I must get going, I need to say good-bye to my family."  He held her hand to his lips.  "It has been a pleasure, Ms. Chandler-Quartermaine."  
  
Skye smiled as she watched him walk out of the bar.  Strange enough, she didn't feel relieved to see Stefan go; instead, she felt anger and betrayal.  As those feelings of pain and anger continued to build inside of her, Skye did the only thing she knew how to make it stop - she ordered a martini.  
  
  
  
A few hours later, Alexis opened the door to Luke's Club.  She had no idea why she had called Ned of all people to meet her for a drink after Stefan had surprised her by leaving town so suddenly.   
  
"Alexis!" Ned called as he came in the door.   
  
She turned and looked at him, the man she had almost married.  Part of her wished she had married him, especially as she noticed how good he looked in his black pants and green sweater.  And those dimples… she shook her head, trying to clear her mind.  
  
"Hi," she greeted him, as he kissed her on the cheek.   
  
The two moved to a table and ordered drinks.  Alexis proceeded to fill Ned in on Stefan's strange disappearing act.  Ned was about to comment when their attention was diverted to the sound of glass breaking.  
  
"Bartender!  I need another!"  
  
Ned looked toward the bar and was astonished to see Skye sitting on a barstool, three sheets to the wind.  "Oh, brother," he mumbled, rubbing his head.  
  
Alexis gave him a knowing look.  "Time to play Gatekeeper of the family?"  
  
Ned let out a big sigh.  "Yeah, I guess so."  He stood up and wandered over next to Skye, who was trying to talk Roy into giving her another martini.  
  
"With all due respect, I think you've had enough for one evening," Roy informed Skye.  
  
"Roy, I'll take care of this," Ned told him, as Skye whirled around to stare at him, wide-eyed.  
  
"Cousin Ned!" she exclaimed.  "Have a drink with me."  
  
"Uh, excuse me if I'm mistaken, but aren't you supposed to be on the wagon?"  Ned watched as Skye attempted to focus on what he was saying.  
  
"So is that a no to the drink?" she asked, then laughed as if she'd just told a great joke.  
  
"You are a bad drunk," Ned muttered, then pulled at her arm. "C'mon, Skye, time to go."  
  
"No!"  Skye turned around defiantly.  "I want another martini," she pouted.   
  
"No, you need to go," Ned insisted.  
  
Skye tried to whirl around and slap Ned but instead lost her balance and ended up falling off of the stool.  Ned caught her before she hit the floor.   
  
Alexis, having witnessed the scene, walked over to Ned.  "Need a hand?" she offered.   
  
"If you could get my car for me, that would help."  He looked down at Skye, whose eyes were fluttering.  "I think she'll be passed out by then."  
  
"Where are you going to take her?" Alexis asked.  
  
"Good question.  I can't take her to the mansion, the family will go crazy over this.  I guess I could take her to the gate house."  
  
Alexis sighed as her conscious tugged at her.  "Why don't you bring her to my apartment?" she suggested.  
  
"Why would you want to do that?" Ned asked incredulously.  
  
"She helped me with Stefan the other night.  I think I owe her," Alexis explained, grimacing as Skye belched.  
  
"Are you sure?" Ned asked her.  
  
"Yes, let's go."  Alexis led the way to the door as Ned followed behind, carrying a now unconscious Skye.   
  
  
  
"Hello!" AJ scowled as he answered his cell phone.  
  
"Junior, it's Ned."  
  
"I don't have time for you right now, Ned. I've got more important things going on."  
  
"Let me guess – Skye."  
  
"How did you know?" AJ was suddenly all ears.  
  
Ned looked over to Skye, who was passed out on Alexis' couch. "Let's just call it intuition."  
  
"Whatever. She's been missing. Have you seen her?" AJ had been looking for Skye ever since Michael went to school that morning.  
  
"Uh, yeah, she's with me right now."  
  
"She is?!? Ned, that's great! Put her on, I want to talk to her."  
  
"Uh, that won't work, Junior, she's sleeping."  
  
"So wake her up!"  
  
"No, I'm afraid I can't do that."  
  
AJ sighed. "Ned, what the hell is going on?"  
  
For reasons Ned couldn't understand, he actually didn't want to be the one to tell AJ that Skye had fallen off the wagon. "Look, why don't you just come over here? I'm at Alexis' apartment."  
  
AJ blinked in surprise from Ned being at Alexis' apartment, much less Skye being there with them. "Okay. I'm going to call Dad and tell him that I've found Skye."  
  
"No!" Ned's harsh tone caught AJ off-guard.  
  
"Ya wanna give me a good reason why not?" AJ demanded.  
  
"Just wait, Junior, okay? You can call and tell him she's okay, but he can't see her right now – only you. She's gonna need you."  
  
"I'll be there as soon as I can." AJ shut off his cell phone and turned his car toward the penthouse, wondering what in the world was going on.  
  
  
  
  
  
"She's alright? Oh, what a relief." Alan nodded to Monica, who had just walked into the sitting room. "Okay, AJ, talk to you in the morning." He hung up and turned to Monica, smiling for the first time in several hours.  
  
"So, Skye is fine?" Monica asked with raised eyebrows.  
  
"Yes, AJ said he talked to her. She just switched hotels is all."  
  
"You mean Skye didn't find the Port Charles Hotel nice enough? That figures," Monica muttered as she sat down on the sofa.  
  
"Can you lay off my daughter for two minutes?" Alan demanded, thoroughly frustrated with his wife.  
  
"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. She just seems to demand so much of your time." Monica looked at Alan, who was staring at her intently. "Alan, she's just so needy. She needs your attention, your approval, your acceptance, your love… and she needs them all the time!"  
  
Alan leaned forward and took Monica's hands in his. "I love you, Monica, but I want you to do me a favor – think about how you just described Skye, and see if it applies to another woman in my life as well. And then decide if I should give both of these women the attention, approval, acceptance and love that they both crave. Because you see, Monica, these two women, who are both such an important part of my life, are so much alike, yet neither one of them will come close to admitting that." He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hands. "Just think about what I said." He then left her alone with her thoughts.  
  
Monica sighed as she weighed Alan's words. He was right – Monica did want his love and attention. Was it that she was jealous of Skye? No, that couldn't be, could it? She resented how much energy Skye took out of Alan, but jealous?  
  
Monica glanced over at the clock – too late to call Gail now. She suddenly felt a strong urge to talk to her best friend and surrogate mother – Gail Baldwin could always help her make sense out of any situation. Maybe in the morning, she thought, as she yawned and stood up, ready for bed.  
  
  
  
Alexis came out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn and offered Ned some, who declined. "How is she?" Alexis motioned toward Skye.  
  
"Same," Ned replied. "She's still passed out, but the good news is that she hasn't thrown up on your new sofa."  
  
"Ha, ha." Alexis playfully punched Ned on the arm. He, in turn, reached up and swatted her behind. She turned around in surprise and proceeded to shower him with popcorn. Laughing, Ned brushed the popcorn off the top of his head and glanced up at Alexis, who was trying to maintain an expression of innocence.  
  
"Uh, you have a little kernel right.." Alexis pointed to Ned's shoulder, then went ahead and brushed it off, "there." As she brushed off the popcorn kernel, Ned grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap. He leaned in to kiss her, his eyes never leaving hers.  
  
Suddenly, someone was banging on the door. Ned groaned inwardly – he just knew it was Junior, and his timing was awful as usual. Alexis gave Ned one of her quirky smiles before standing up. "Guess I should get that."  
  
"Yeah." Ned stood up, preparing himself for AJ's reaction to Skye.  
  
"Ned, where…" AJ stormed in and started to ask the question before he saw Skye on the sofa. "Oh my God, what happened to her?" He knelt down next to her sleeping form, sniffed, then looked up at Ned in bewilderment. "Is she drunk?"  
  
"Yeah, Junior, that's one way of putting it," Ned acknowledged half- heartedly.  
  
AJ stood back up, confusion written all over his face. "Where… how…" He couldn't think straight – Skye was supposed to be the one who was all put together. She wasn't supposed to be the one to fall apart, not after everything she had gone through over the past several months.  
  
"We were at Luke's," Alexis offered, "and we saw Skye at the bar, asking for another drink after she, er, spilled hers." Alexis looked over at Ned and nodded for him to continue.  
  
"So, I thought it would create quite a scandal if I took her back to the mansion, so we brought her here." Ned looked at Junior expectantly. "Well? Aren't you going to thank me?"  
  
"For what?" AJ demanded.  
  
"For not creating more havoc in the family. For not showing the family how low Skye has sunk to."  
  
"Just shut up, Ned. You don't know anything about this." AJ pointed his finger at Ned, his face red with rage.  
  
"Uh, why don't we just call it a night?" Alexis suggested, gently touching Ned's arm.  
  
"And where am I sleeping?" Ned asked.  
  
Alexis blushed. "You're welcome to stay here, both of you." She looked at Ned, who nodded and smiled at her.  
  
"Okay, I think I'll take that guest room upstairs," he said, noticing Alexis' relieved expression. "Junior?"  
  
"I'm not leaving Skye. I'll sleep down here." He looked over at his sister's sleeping form and felt a lump in his throat.  
  
"Okay, 'night." Alexis headed toward the stairs, with Ned following close behind.  
  
AJ knelt once again in front of Skye. He whispered to her as he stroked her hair. "Why, Skye? What could be so bad that you had to take that drink? Why didn't you call me, or your sponsor? Geez, I'm your brother and I don't even know who your sponsor is, surely you have one." He sat silently for a moment, thinking back to their previous encounter in the lobby of the PC Hotel. Something had been amiss then, but he hadn't been able to put his finger on it.  
  
As he lay down on the floor beside Skye, he looked up at her one more time before closing his eyes. "Tomorrow, you and I are going to have one serious talk."  
  
   
  
   
  
Chapter 9  
  
   
  
Author's Note:  In my story, Jax has yet to come back to Port Charles.  He and Skye have yet to meet.  
  
  
  
Skye woke up in a cold sweat.  Looking around, there was just enough light coming through the window that she could barely make out her surroundings, which looked vaguely familiar. She sat up with a start as she heard breathing below her.  Peering down from the sofa, she was astounded to see AJ asleep on the floor.  What had happened?  For the second time in as many nights, she had blacked out.  The last thing she remembered about the night before was leaving the Port Charles Hotel after Stuart had visited her.  
  
Gingerly, Skye quietly shook off the blanket covering her and rose off the sofa.  As she looked around for her shoes, she heard a door shut upstairs, then a woman's voice.  A moment later, footsteps came down the stairs before she had a chance to move.  
  
"Oh, you're up!"  Alexis, still in her pajamas, stared at Skye with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.  
  
"Yeah, I'm up."  As Alexis turned on a light, Skye realized that she was in Alexis' apartment - she had been there once before, but she couldn't remember when exactly.   
  
"Uh, thanks for letting me crash here, Alexis, but I really should be going."  Thoroughly humiliated but determined not to let Alexis see it, Skye busied herself with finding her shoes.  
  
"Where are you going to go?" Alexis asked, handing Skye her shoes.  "Back to Luke's?"  
  
"Luke's?" Skye said with surprise.  "Why would I go there?"  
  
Alexis bit her lip and looked down before looking back up at Skye, an unreadable expression on her face.  "Because that's where Ned and I found you last night."  
  
"Ned?!?"  Skye couldn't believe it, her bad situation was quickly becoming worse.  "Ned knows…" she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, to voice out loud that she had been drinking.  
  
"Yes, Ned knows," Alexis acknowledged with a small smile.  "In fact, both he and AJ spent the night."  
  
"How did AJ get here?" Skye demanded.  
  
"Ned called him," Alexis answered quietly.  
  
"Oh, of course he did!  I bet he couldn't wait to show AJ that his sister really is a loser!"  Skye hadn't realized that she was now yelling until she heard a noise behind her.  
  
"Hey, that's my sister you're ripping on.  Take it easy!"  AJ rubbed his eyes as he sat up, still groggy.  
  
"I really think that I do need to go," Skye announced, trying to put on her shoes as quickly as possible.  
  
AJ stood up and walked over to his sister, putting his hand on her shoulder as she precariously balanced on one foot in an attempt to slip on a sandal.  "You're not going anywhere until we have a serious talk."  
  
  
  
Rae hung up the phone just as John came through the door to their hotel room.  "Good morning," she greeted him with a smile.  
  
"Good morning yourself," he responded, dropping a bag on the table and then wrapping his arms around her as he gazed into her eyes.  "And how is Ms. Cummings this morning?"  
  
"Just fine," she said with a phony smile, which John saw right through.  
  
"Uh-huh, nice try.  How about we try that again?  How are you this morning?"  
  
Rae leaned her head against John's chest.  "You aren't a detective for nothing, are you?"  
  
"You were tossing and turning all night.  It doesn't take a detective to figure out that you had a rough night."  John pulled back slightly to look into her eyes again.  "What's going on?"  
  
Rae sighed as she pulled out of his grasp.  "It's Skye.  I was worried about her, John.  But then Alan called…"  
  
"Is that who was on the phone just now?"  
  
Rae nodded.  "Yes, he actually invited us over for dinner tonight.  The invitation was even Monica's idea, can you believe it?"  Rae shook her head, recalling the many uncivilized conversations she and Monica had had over the past few months.  "Anyway, he also said that Skye moved to a different hotel, so at least I know she's safe."  
  
John smiled as he picked up the bag he had brought in with him.  "Well, good, maybe that news will increase your appetite."  
  
Rae's eyes widened as she watched John pull out a cinnamon roll.  "Oh, one of my favorites!  Just what I need, too!"   
  
"Stop it, Rae.  You are so beautiful, don't you know that?"  John gathered her in his arms again, smiling down at her before leaning down to kiss her.  
  
Rae broke away after a few moments, breathless.  "Well, a cinnamon roll and a kiss - what else can a girl ask for in the morning?"  
  
John handed her the cinnamon roll and poured her a cup of fresh coffee.  "So what else is on the agenda for today?"  
  
"Well, I'm going to meet with Lucy Coe… oops, I mean Collins.  She's the wife of my friend, Dr. Kevin Collins."  Rae bit into her cinnamon roll and moaned in delight.  
  
"Hey, take it easy on that," John teased, loving every minute of seeing her face light up.  "Wasn't Kevin married to someone else when you were here about a year ago?"  
  
Rae nodded, chewing thoughtfully on her breakfast.  "Yes, Eve - remember, John, that was when I thought that there was a possibility that Eve could be my daughter.  So much has changed since then…" Rae let her mind wander back to Skye for a moment, but John interrupted her thoughts.  
  
"So what are you meeting with Lucy for?"  
  
"Oh, she is supposed to be just the right person in Port Charles to help coordinate an event.  Apparently she throws a Nurses Ball every year, and she just organized her own wedding, so I figured she would be the best person to start with."  
  
"Start with for what?" John asked, confused.  
  
Rae shook her head.  "Oh, Detective, maybe you're not thinking right this morning," she teased.  "It's time to start planning our wedding, of course!"  
  
"Oh, right," John said, chuckling.  "I'm sorry, Rae, I don't know why my mind didn't go there."  
  
"It's okay, you more than made up for it already this morning."  Rae smiled as she took another bite of her cinnamon roll.  
  
"Well, I'd better get in the shower, I have to go down to the police station to fill out some paperwork."  John started toward the bathroom, then glanced back at Rae.  "Care to join me?"  
  
Rae stuffed the last bit of her roll in her mouth, nodded, then ran, beaming, into John's waiting arms.  It was a great start to what was looking to be a wonderful day.  
  
  
  
"I'm just going to go up and see if Ned is awake yet," Alexis told Skye and AJ, wanting to make herself scarce.  
  
AJ nodded and smiled in understanding at Alexis, who mouthed 'good luck' to AJ.  Skye made her way over to the sofa and sank down onto it, wringing her hands in her lap.  AJ slowly walked over and sat down beside her.  
  
"Skye," he started, but she held up a hand.  
  
"Look, AJ, I know what you're going to say… that you're disappointed in me, that it was a stupid thing to do."  Skye kept her eyes down, focusing on her hands.  "Trust me, I know all of that already."  
  
"I know you do."  AJ gently lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes.  "Skye, I'm not exactly a stranger to what it feels like to fall off the wagon."  
  
Skye shook her head and stood up.  "But it's different," she started to explain, then stopped herself.  
  
AJ stood up beside her.  "Of course it's different, Skye.  Every situation is different, but every fall is the same, too - it ends with a drink, and then starting over."  
  
Skye's eyes started to fill with tears.  "Starting over," she repeated softly.  
  
AJ nodded.  "Yeah, you know that's how the program works.  One drink, and you're back to Day One of sobriety."  
  
Skye nodded, swallowing over the lump in her throat.  "Yeah, that's how it works," she said dryly.  Suddenly, she turned and looked at AJ, despair written across her face.  "Oh, AJ, why did I have to go and make such a mess out of everything?"  
  
AJ gathered her in his arms and held her as she cried.  "Skye, I'll help you get through this," he promised.  "And if you don't want to talk to me about whatever is going on with you, then talk to somebody."  
  
Skye pulled away, wiping her tearstained face.  "It's not that I don't want to talk to you about it, AJ… I don't want to talk to anyone about it!"  More tears rolled down her cheeks as she sank down once again onto the sofa.  
  
AJ sat down beside her and put his arms around her once more.  "Okay, Skye.  One thing at a time.  First, let's go to a meeting," he suggested.  
  
Skye sniffed as she leaned against him.  "I thought you didn't believe in the group approach," she said wryly through her tears.   
  
AJ smiled.  "Hey, anyone can change, right?"  
  
"Sure, anyone can change, Junior."  Ned came down the stairs, followed by Alexis.  "I don't know if either of you will ever change enough, though."  
  
AJ stood up, furious.  "Ned, why don't you just go back upstairs and leave us alone?"  It was more of a demand than a suggestion, but Ned shook his head.  
  
"No, I think it's high time that Ms. Chandler finds herself another family to torture.  There is no way that she is going to put Alan or Grandmother through the pain of another alki falling off the wagon in this family."  
  
"Ned, I don't think this is appropriate," Alexis started to say but was cut off by AJ.  
  
"For goodness sake, Ned, can't you see that Skye needs her family right now more than anything else?" AJ yelled.   
  
"Whatever, Junior, I'm going up to get my things, and then I'm going back to the house.  You'd be wise to do the same."  Ned turned and ran up the stairs, followed by Alexis, who was quietly reading him the riot act for being an "insensitive jerk".  
  
Skye shook her head sadly.  "He's right, AJ - you can't let me bring you and the rest of the family down."  
  
"Don't even start with that."  AJ hugged his sister again tightly.  "Listen, I'm just going to go and comb out my hair," he pointed to his obvious bedhead," and freshen up, and then we can go to a meeting, okay?"  
  
Skye nodded and smiled as AJ gave her hands a reassuring squeeze, then went into the bathroom.  
  
"I'm not going to do that to you, AJ.  I'm not your problem to fix."  Skye murmured the words to herself.  Then, with an apologetic glance toward the closed bathroom door, she quietly let herself out of the apartment, wondering what her next move would be.  
  
   
  
   
  
Chapter 10  
  
   
  
AJ came out of the bathroom, putting on a cheery face for Skye's benefit.  He couldn't stand the thought of her in so much pain – even he was surprised by how strong his feelings were to protect her.  They really were alike in so many ways, and they had to stick together.  
  
Once he saw that the living room was empty, AJ let out a frustrated yell, which brought Ned and Alexis running down the stairs.   
  
"Junior, what are you yelling about?" Ned demanded.  
  
"Skye left," AJ answered despondently, sinking down on the sofa and putting his head in his hands.  
  
"Well, good riddance," Ned smirked, then ducked as Alexis threw a fake punch his way.  
  
"Ned, would you just SHUT UP!  I have to find her!" AJ yelled, standing up and facing Ned.  
  
Ned sighed as he crossed his arms, getting an all-knowing look on his face.  "Look, Junior – why don't you just cut your losses and let your long- lost sister disappear?  Is she really worth all this trouble?"  
  
"Yes, she is.  And I feel sorry for you, Ned, that you can't realize she's worth the trouble.  But then again, you never thought I was worth the trouble, did you?  Well, I'll show you that you're wrong… about both of us."  AJ stormed out of the apartment, leaving a scowling Ned and a disgusted Alexis behind.  
  
"Well, at least they're both gone."  Ned turned to Alexis with a smile.  "How about we go back to bed?"  
  
This time, Ned couldn't duck before Alexis slugged him in the shoulder.  "Don't even think about it, Ned.  I'm going to help AJ look for Skye."  She glared at him, then ran up the stairs to get dressed.  
  
Ned stood in thought for a moment, deciding what his next move should be.  He was determined to get rid of Skye for good.  
  
  
  
Skye opened the door to Luke's nightclub.  It was still mid-morning, so the interior was very dark compared to the sun shining brightly outside.  Blinking her eyes to grow accustomed to the darker surroundings, Skye tripped over a chair and fell down.  
  
"Careful there, little lady," Luke chastised, coming from the back room.  "Uh, darlin', we're closed."  
  
Skye picked herself up and brushed her clothes off, the same clothes that she'd had on the night before.  "Yes, I can see that," she said dryly.  "But I have a problem I was hoping you might be able to help me out with."  
  
"Oh?"  Luke's interest was piqued.  "And what would that be?"  
  
Skye tried to sound as convincing as possible, since she couldn't really remember what had happened last night.  "Well, I was here last night, and I think I might have, uh, left my things here."  
  
"What sort of things?" Luke asked, very intrigued.  
  
"Oh, my suitcases, that sort of thing.  I had just checked out of a hotel and had everything with me."  Skye smiled, trying to hide her embarrassment.  
  
"Well, what's your name, darlin'?  I'll take a look in our lost and found."  Luke smiled at the pretty redhead.  
  
"Skye Chandler."  Skye decided not to mention that she was a Quartermaine, although for all she knew, she met this guy the previous night and just didn't remember it.   
  
"Let's see, Skye Chandler, Skye Chandler…" Luke mumbled, as he looked through lost and found.  "Nope, nothing."  Suddenly, he put a finger in the air and gave Skye a wide smile.  "Ah, but wait – I remember Roy telling me something about someone renting a room upstairs."  He opened a book and checked it.  "Yep, here you are, darlin'.  Guess you don't remember getting that room?"  Luke looked at her curiously.  
  
"Uh, no, I guess it was a long day yesterday," Skye joked, trying to make light of it all.  "Well, I guess since I rented a room here, can I use it?" She smiled once again at Luke, she liked his easy, laid-back demeanor.  
  
"Sure, help yourself."  Luke motioned toward the stairs.  "Just let me know if you need anything.  I'm Luke, by the way, Luke Spencer."  
  
"A pleasure, Luke."  Skye shook his hand, then started to head upstairs.  She turned back around.  "Uh, Luke?  Can I ask a favor?"  
  
"Sure, little lady, what is it?"  
  
"Well, two favors, actually.  Umm… one, can I buy a drink and take it up to my room?"  
  
Luke nodded.  "Sure, ya gotta have some perk of living above a bar, right?"  He got out a glass and asked what she wanted.  "So, what's the second favor?"  
  
"If anyone comes around looking for me, you don't know me, and you've never seen me before," Skye said seriously as she took the glass of whiskey from Luke and took a sip.  
  
Luke looked Skye up and down.  "Well, you sure don't look like the type to be running from the law, so I'll take it this isn't about anything illegal?" he questioned.  
  
Skye shook her head.  "No, it's just, um, personal."  
  
Luke nodded.  "I can understand that, darlin', the need to get away.  Okay, you've got a deal."  He smiled at her one more time as she took her drink upstairs with her.  Luke watched her go, intrigued by the mystery lady.  
  
Skye showered and changed into new clothes.  After she finished her drink, she had the urge for more, but her thoughts kept returning to the look on AJ's face as he had talked to her and held her that morning, letting her cry and not pushing her.  As she sat and thought about the events over the past few days, she realized that it was already early evening.  
  
This was her crossroads.  She could either go and get herself drunk again, or she could try to make things right.  Skye looked in the mirror and put a look of determination on her face.  She didn't want to throw everything away that she had worked so hard to accomplish.  Making her decision, Skye left her room and hailed a taxi.  "The Quartermaine mansion, please."  
  
  
  
John and Rae pulled up to the front of the Quartermaine's right at 6:00 PM.  "Right on time," John said lightly, trying to ease the tension.  He could sense that Rae was on guard, just waiting for a fight to break out.  
  
Rae smiled meekly at him.  "Oh, John, are you sure this is a good idea?"  
  
John leaned over and kissed her.  "Why, don't you want to show off your fiancé?" he teased.  
  
"Of course I do, don't be silly!" Rae admonished him teasingly.  "Alright, let's get this show on the road."  
  
  
  
"Monica, are you almost ready?" Alan yelled from their bedroom.  
  
"Yes, I'm coming," she yelled back from the bathroom.  
  
Alan whistled as his wife joined him.  "You look absolutely beautiful," he told her, beaming as he put his arms around her waist.  
  
"Why, thank you," Monica replied, grinning in return.  "You know, I'm actually looking forward to this evening," she admitted.  "It will be interesting, to say the least, to get to know Rae's fiancé better, there wasn't much of a chance to talk with him when they were here before for Skye's party.  And I can't wait to see Gail and Lee, it's been ages."  
  
Alan nodded in agreement.  "I know you have missed Gail, the two of you used to be so close.  Hopefully you can catch up tonight."  
  
"Yes, hopefully so," Monica concurred.  "Shall we?"  
  
Alan opened the door and offered Monica his arm.  "We shall!"  
  
  
  
Reginald opened the door and let John and Rae in, taking their coats for them.  He escorted them into the sitting room, where Gail and Lee were already waiting.   
  
"Gail Baldwin!" Rae exclaimed, rushing over to hug her friend.  "I haven't seen you in such a long time!  How are you?"  
  
"Rae, it's so good to see you!" Gail greeted her.  "What on earth are you doing here?"  
  
Rae smiled and looked over at John.  "It's a very long story.  Hasn't Monica filled you in on my and Alan's daughter, Skye?"  
  
"Your daughter?" Gail asked, completely surprised.  "Well, I guess we do have a lot to catch up on!"  She and Rae both giggled, then introduced Lee and John.  
  
John went over to pour drinks for everyone.  "Gail, Lee, what can I get for you?"  
  
"Oh, nothing for me, thanks," Lee replied, smiling.  "Honey, you have whatever you want."  
  
"Alright, I'll just have a water.  I'm on call tonight."  Gail smiled at her husband of many years, rubbing his arm.  
  
It occurred to Rae then that Lee was an alcoholic.  She remembered Gail telling her Lee's amazing story of recovery, and then his slip-up several years ago.  But he had since recovered, and the two had been happily married for quite some time.  Rae silently wondered if Lee would be a good person to ask advice for how to approach Skye, to ask if she had been drinking lately.  
  
"Well, it looks like everyone is here!" Monica greeted everyone as she and Alan entered the room.  
  
More greetings were made, then Alan suggested they all go into the dining room for dinner.  As they all made their way into the front hall on their way to the dining room, AJ burst through the front door.  
  
"AJ, what's the matter?" Alan asked, concerned when he saw the look on AJ's face.  
  
"Uh, Dad, have you seen Skye?" AJ asked, out of breath.  
  
"No, why?  What's going on?" Alan asked, as Rae came forward.   
  
"AJ, is something wrong?" Rae asked, beginning to get panicked.   
  
"No, I just really need to find her, that's all," AJ said, trying to sound convincing.  
  
"Why don't you tell them the truth, Junior?" Ned sneered, coming in behind AJ.  "There definitely is something wrong."  
  
"Uh, why don't we take this somewhere private?" Alan suggested, motioning to AJ and Rae.  
  
"No, I want to hear this," Monica insisted.  "Go on, Ned."  
  
"Well, let's at least move back into the sitting room," Alan suggested.  Everyone followed his suggestion, moving back into the room they had just exited.  
  
"Okay, out with it, Ned," Monica instructed.  
  
"Junior?" Ned questioned, but AJ shook his head and looked down.  "Fine, I'll be the bearer of bad news, then."  He took a deep breath, looking around at everyone.  "Skye has been drinking – a lot."  
  
Rae gasped and put her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with fear for her daughter.  Alan looked dumbfounded.  "Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to believe it.  
  
"It's true, Dad," AJ concurred.  "Ned and Alexis found her drunk last night, and I saw her passed out a short time later."  
  
Monica sighed and went over to pour herself a drink.  Gail stood beside her and looked at her inquisitively, wondering what she was thinking.  Lee listened to the conversation intently.  
  
"How could this happen?" Alan pondered.  "Rae, did you know anything about this?"  
  
Rae hesitated before answering.  "Yes, I suspected something," she admitted quietly, noticing John's look of disbelief.  "I'm sorry I didn't share it with any of you, I was hoping that my mind was just playing tricks on me, that I just imagined it."  
  
Rae, Alan, Ned, and AJ continued to discuss everything they knew about Skye's recent behavior, while Gail, Lee, Monica and John listened in silence.  No one noticed Skye come through the front door and listen at the door to the sitting room.  
  
"I don't understand what triggered all this," Alan was saying.   
  
"Sometimes it doesn't take much to trigger it," Lee spoke up suddenly.  "That's the life of an alcoholic, Alan.  It's an addiction that we have to fight not to give into every single day."  
  
Skye didn't know who that man was, but she was grateful for his words.   
  
"I, uh, think that I might have contributed to this," Rae admitted feebly.  "I, uh, broke Skye's confidence about something and told Adam some things that Skye told me in private."  Rae teared up then, as John grasped her shoulders.  "I shouldn't have said anything."  
  
Damn right, Skye thought.  
  
"So, what are we going to do?" AJ demanded, determined to help his sister.   
  
"I'm not doing anything, you are all on your own.  I say, good riddance," Ned told the group, then walked out of the room, startling Skye.  "Well, who do we have here?" he asked with a smirk, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the doorway.  "Look who I found eavesdropping!"  
  
Skye had never been more terrified or embarrassed in her entire life.  She stood in the doorway, looking at everyone, who just stared back at her with varied expressions.  She felt like she were being put in front of a firing squad.  
  
"Let go of me," Skye demanded, trying to shake off Ned's grip.  
  
"I don't think so," Ned said, tightening his grip.  
  
Before anyone could react, Skye suddenly grabbed Ned's arm and flung him onto the floor, then took off running up the stairs.  
  
"Skye, wait!" Alan yelled, chasing after her.   
  
"John!"  Rae turned to John, her eyes pleading.  John knew what she wanted him to do without hearing the words, and took off after Alan and Skye.  
  
Skye ran to the study on the second floor and shut the door, locking it behind her.  As she ran over to the French doors, she heard Alan and John banging on the other side of the door.  
  
"Skye, let me in!  We need to talk about this!  I love you!" Alan yelled.  
  
Skye looked around, frantic for an escape.  Glancing down, she noticed that no one had come out onto the patio from the sitting room downstairs.  
  
Skye quickly grabbed a crystal decanter full of brandy, then hurriedly made her way outside onto the terrace, then down the stairs and across the lawn.  She ran until her breath gave out, finally stopping and falling to the ground.  As she looked around, she realized that she was in the exact spot where she had heard Adam and Rae discussing if Althea had hurt her when she was growing up.  
  
Shaking all over, Skye leaned against a tree and pulled off the top of the decanter and took a long drink of the brown liquid, as she cursed herself for allowing everything to get so out of hand, and cursed her parents for creating her in the first place.  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.8 Chapter 11  
  
   
  
Alan returned to the sitting room, where everyone was congregated, expressing various reactions to the events that had just unfolded.  
  
Rae ran up to Alan.  "Did you talk to Skye?"  
  
Alan shook his head.  "She's refusing to open the door.  John is still up there, trying to get her to open the door."  He sank down onto the sofa, putting his face in his hands.  "How did this happen?" he mumbled to no one in particular.  
  
Monica sat down beside Alan and put her hand gently on his arm.  "Alan, this isn't your fault.  When you were addicted to the painkillers, I racked my brain to think of ways that I could have prevented it.  We both know that there's no prevention against another slip-up."  
  
Ned sighed, shaking his head.  "Well, that may be true, but I'm not going to stick around for this intervention of sorts.  I've seen enough of those to last me a lifetime."  He threw a sour look at AJ.  
  
AJ stepped toward his cousin.  "What a good idea, Ned – you've done the damage, now why don't you just do what you're good at and get the hell out!"   
  
"With pleasure, Junior," Ned sneered before leaving the room.  
  
"I'm going up there," Rae announced, but Alan stopped her.   
  
"No, Rae – wait.  I'll get the key from Reginald.  Reggie!" Alan bellowed, striding out into the foyer.  
  
Rae clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a sob as the reality of the situation started to hit her.  AJ walked over to her and put his arm around her.   
  
"She'll be okay, we'll help her through this," AJ told her in all sincerity.  
  
Rae looked up at him with a mixture of hope and sadness on her face.  "Thank you, AJ, for being there for her.  I… I'm afraid I've made such a mess of things."  
  
"No, my mom was right – this isn't any of our faults.  We just have to focus now on finding Skye."  Even as he said the words, AJ couldn't help but kick himself mentally for leaving Skye alone at Alexis' apartment and giving her a chance to run off.  
  
Alan and John came back into the room, both looking dejected.  "What?" Rae asked in alarm.  
  
"She's not in there," John informed her, going over and taking Rae in his arms.   
  
"Well, where did she go?" Rae demanded.  
  
"She must've gone outside somewhere," Alan surmised.  "We'll find her, Rae, don't worry."  
  
"I'm going to look for her, too," Rae stated with conviction.  No one objected as Alan, AJ, John, and Rae gathered their coats.  
  
"I'm going, too," Monica announced.  Alan and Rae turned to look at her with surprise.  Monica walked over to Alan and hugged him.  "For your sake, and for Skye's… I do hope she's alright."  
  
"Thank you," Alan told her in a husky voice.  "Okay, let's go.  We'll have better odds of finding her if we split up."  
  
"Monica, why don't I go with you?" Gail spoke up.  "That way, Alan and AJ can go together, and Lee can stay here in case Skye comes back to the house."  
  
Alan nodded his assent, as Rae and John led the way, followed by AJ and Alan, then Monica and Gail.  The search was on.  
  
  
  
Skye had no idea how long she'd been out in the rose garden.  The foliage above hid the moon and even most of the stars, causing her surroundings to be almost pitch-black.  She sucked down the last of the liquor and then tossed the crystal decanter onto the path.   
  
I need to come up with a plan, Skye thought, as her eyelids started drooping.   I need to get back to Luke's so I can leave this town and never be heard from again.  
  
Skye brushed away a few tears as she recalled the look on Rae and Alan's faces when Ned had pulled her into the sitting room.  Such sadness and disappointment – she couldn't bear to see those looks again.  
  
Skye let out a big sigh as she tried to stand up.  Swaying, she steadied herself against the tree she had been leaning against.  But as soon as she tried to take a few steps, she tripped and fell in between two rose bushes.   
  
Skye barely felt the thorns stick her.  She attempted to sit up, but her hair was entangled in the bushes, and her clothes were sticking to the thorns.  Lying back down, Skye felt everything begin to fade, and soon everything went black as the alcohol raged through her blood.  
  
  
  
"What time are we supposed to meet back at the house?" Monica asked Gail for the third time.  
  
"We still have about a half-hour to go," Gail informed her.  
  
"Oh, okay," Monica replied, her voice full of anxiety.  
  
"Monica, what's going on?" Gail asked gently.  
  
Monica fought back tears as she turned to her old friend.  "Oh, Gail – this is all such a mess.  I confronted Skye earlier in her hotel room, and I haven't exactly been the nicest to her.  If she dies, and Alan loses her like I lost Dawn, I don't know how we'll get through it."  Monica's voice caught in her throat as she thought about her daughter, Dawn, who had tragically died in a fire not long after she and Monica found each other.  
  
Gail put her arm comfortingly around her friend.  "Then let's do what we can for right now, okay?  Let's find her."  
  
Monica nodded as she retrained her flashlight on the path, making herself focus on the task at hand.  
  
As they neared the rose garden, Monica let out a cry as she tripped over something and fell down.  
  
"Monica, what's wrong?" Gail asked her, alarmed.  
  
"I just twisted my ankle, I think."  Monica grimaced as she tried to stand on the ankle, then sank back down onto the ground.  "I guess I should've known better than to go traipsing around the grounds in these heels, but this wasn't exactly the itinerary for the evening," she said wryly.  
  
"Look, I'll go and get help, okay?  You just stay there."  Gail pulled off her coat and gave it to Monica, who refused.  
  
"No, Gail, I'm fine.  Just go, I'm not going anywhere."  Monica gave her a reassuring smile.  
  
Monica watched Gail walk back toward the mansion.  She sighed as she tried to make herself as comfortable as possible on the cold, hard ground.  Taking out her flashlight, Monica scanned the surrounding area and noticed a stone bench a few feet away.  She crawled over to the bench, careful not to put any weight on her throbbing ankle.   Pulling herself up onto the bench, Monica lifted her leg to elevate her ankle.  As she examined it with the flashlight beam, she noticed that it had already started to swell.   
  
"Oh, great," she mumbled, then shone the beam on her surroundings to get her mind off of the increasing pain.  Her eyes narrowed, as something seemed to catch the light and reflect it back.  Squinting, she thought it was a crystal bottle.  "What on earth…" she muttered, she couldn't imagine what that was doing out in the rose garden.  
  
Groaning, Monica hoisted herself down from the stone bench back down to the ground, then crawled over to the crystal bottle.  Holding it up, she realized it was an empty decanter from the house.  Studying it closely, Monica noticed traces of lipstick at the top of the decanter.  An uneasy feeling came over her as she hurriedly reached for her flashlight.  
  
"Skye?  Skye, are you there?"  Monica started yelling into the darkness.  "Skye, answer me!  Skye, are you there?"  Crawling once again on all fours, Monica tried to train her flashlight beam in front of her so she wouldn't hit any of the prickly rose bushes surrounding her on both sides.  
  
"Oh, my God!" Monica cried out as the light beam fell over a body.  Scrambling as best she could, Monica saw that it was indeed Skye.  She was bleeding a bit, but Monica deduced that the scratches from the thorns were responsible for the blood.  Attempting to pull her up, Monica untangled her hair from the thorns as she leaned an unconscious Skye against her shoulders.  Once she had Skye free, she laid her down in the pathway to assess her condition.  
  
Monica noticed in alarm that Skye's skin was cold with a slight blue tint to it.  She leaned down and shook Skye, calling her name in an attempt to wake her, with no success.  
  
"Okay, think, just think," she told herself, trying to remain calm.  Remembering her cell phone, Monica tried to locate it in her coat pocket, but it wasn't there.  "Damn!" she muttered, thinking that it must have fallen out sometime when she fell or was crawling around the area.  
  
Bringing her attention back to Skye, Monica concentrated on Skye's breathing, noticing that her breaths were slow and shallow.  "My God, she's got alcohol poisoning," she murmured.  Terror began to sink in as she realized the severity of the situation.  
  
Monica propped up Skye against her so that she wasn't lying flat on her back, in case she vomited, so she wouldn't choke.  She then grabbed her flashlight and started flashing it on and off, hoping and praying that someone would discover them in time, before it was too late.  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.9 Chapter 12  
  
   
  
"Alan, I left her over near the rose garden, I believe."  Gail was leading Alan and John toward the area where Monica had fallen and twisted her ankle.  "Oh, look - there's a blinking light.  I'm sure that's her."  
  
Alan quickened his pace to get to his wife's side.  As he drew near, he realized that Monica wasn't alone.  "John, quick!" he yelled as he ran to Monica.  
  
"I found her here, Alan, after I fell," Monica quickly explained.  "She, ah, appears to be very intoxicated.  Alan, we need to call 911.  I think she has alcohol poisoning."  
  
John and Gail had reached them in time to hear Monica's diagnosis.  "Oh, dear God," John muttered before dialing 911 on his cell phone.  As he explained their need for an ambulance to the dispatcher, Alan knelt down to check Skye's vitals.  
  
"Monica, her breathing is very slow and shallow," Alan announced in a shaky voice.  "Has she vomited?"  
  
Monica shook her head.  "No, and she hasn't regained consciousness since I've been with her."  She pointed to the empty decanter lying on the ground nearby.  "Alan, I think she took that with her when she left the house and drank it all."   
  
"What should I do?" Gail asked nervously.  
  
"Gail, please go and get Rae.  Tell her what's going on," John instructed.  "Alan, shouldn't we carry Skye into the main house?"  
  
"Yes, I think it's okay to move her," Alan concurred, then remembered Monica's ankle.  "John, can you carry Skye on your own?"  
  
"It's okay, Alan - go ahead and take Skye in.  I'll be fine out here for a few more minutes," Monica told him.  
  
"No, really - I can carry Skye on my own, it's fine."  John scooped Skye up in his arms, as if to prove his point.  "Can you carry Monica?"  
  
"Well, I've certainly done it before," Alan joked half-heartedly before picking up his wife.  
  
The two men walked as fast as they could.  As they reached the back door to the sitting room, sirens could be heard in the distance.  
  
"Oh my God, Skye!"  Rae rushed out the door, followed by Gail.  "John, is she alright?"  
  
John gently laid Skye down on the sofa, just as the paramedics rushed into the room.  Alan and Monica answered their questions as they tended to Skye and moved her onto a stretcher.  Rae stood by in shock, leaning against John for support.  
  
"We have to get her to the hospital right away," an EMT stated.   
  
"I'll meet you there," Alan told them, then turned to Monica.  "I'll take you to GH - you need an X-ray of that ankle."  
  
Knowing it was pointless to argue, Monica allowed herself to once again be carried, this time out the door and to the car.  
  
"Rae, let's go."  John stepped toward the door, then looked back at Rae, who stood still as if glued to the spot.  "Rae!"  
  
Rae turned her head and looked at John in confusion, then seemed to regain her sense of surroundings.  "Right, we need to go," she mumbled, picking up her purse.  
  
Gail noticed Rae's state of shock.  "John, why don't you let Lee and I accompany you?" she offered as she put an arm around her friend's shaking shoulders.   
  
John nodded gratefully.  "Thank you, Gail - I think that's a good idea."  
  
"Let's go," Lee suggested, hoping against hope that good news awaited them at the hospital.  
  
  
  
Two hours later, Monica hobbled over to where Alan was sitting.  "How is Skye?"  
  
Alan sighed as he raised his head.  "She's got the best doctors here working on her," he said, trying to sound convincing, "but she's not out of the woods yet.  She had a lot of alcohol in her system, Monica.  It's a good thing you found her when you did."  He frowned as he finally noticed his wife's new accessories.  "And how is your ankle?"  
  
"Well, it looks like I'm going to be using these crutches for at least the next few weeks," she sighed as she sat down next to her husband.   
  
Alan reached over and grabbed her hand.  "I'm so sorry for all this," he said.  
  
Monica looked at Alan in amazement.  "Alan, you have nothing to be sorry about."  Noticing the surprised look on his face, she continued.  "This is a mess, yes, but it's our mess because we are a family.  And whether I've been accepting or not up to now, I realize now that I need to accept Skye into this family - she is a part of the Quartermaines."  
  
"What brought this on?" Alan asked quietly.  
  
Monica's smile was bittersweet, her expression sheepish.  "When I found Skye earlier, I realized that she is very much your daughter, just as Dawn was my daughter.  I lost Dawn, and we both lost a part of Jason in a way after the accident.  I don't want you to feel that pain again, Alan.  You deserve another chance with your daughter, and I realize that now."  
  
Alan kissed Monica gently on the forehead.  "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely, blinking back tears.  
  
Monica pulled him into a tight embrace as a few tears escaped her eyes.  
  
"Ahem," a voice nearby said.  "Drs. Quartermaine?"  
  
Alan stood up anxiously.  "Ian," he addressed the doctor, "how is my daughter?"  
  
"Well, she's stable," he told Alan, "but we still want to monitor her vitals.  We'll need to keep her at least overnight."  
  
"Oh, thank God!"  Alan thanked Dr. Thornhart, then turned and hugged his wife again.   
  
"Dad!  Mom!"  AJ came running in, soaking wet.  "Where is Skye?  Is she okay?"  
  
"What in the world happened to you?" Alan asked, bewildered.  
  
AJ shook his head.  "I didn't know you'd found Skye, and I thought I saw something floating out in the water by the boathouse… for a second, I thought it was Skye, her body…"    AJ's voice trailed off as he remembered the horror he had felt.  
  
"Son, she's going to be okay," Alan told him with a smile.   
  
"Oh, man - is that good news!"  AJ sank down into a chair, relieved at the turn of events.   
  
Gail, Lee, John and Rae returned with refreshments.  John handed Alan a cup of coffee as Rae looked fearfully at Alan, trying to judge his expression.  "Alan?" she asked apprehensively, bracing herself against John.  
  
"She's okay, Rae," Alan told her, rubbing her shoulder.   
  
"Oh, thank God, John!"  Rae turned and threw her arms around John's neck, holding onto him tightly as she started to cry.  John whispered softly into Rae's ear, rubbing her back soothingly.  
  
"When can we see her?" Rae asked Alan after a few moments, trying to pull herself together.  
  
"Drs. Quartermaine?"  Alan and Monica turned around to see Dr. Eve Lambert Thornhart behind them.  "I was just in with Skye."  
  
"Eve, hi!"  Rae ran over to the surprised doctor and enveloped her into a hug.  "It's been awhile, how are you?"  
  
"Um, okay!  Rae, what are you doing here?"  Eve asked, clearly confused.  
  
"Well, it sounds like you were taking care of my daughter, Skye, in there."  Rae motioned toward the door of Skye's room, giving Eve a grateful smile.   
  
"Your daughter?  So you found her? Oh, Rae, that's great - congratulations!"  Then the reality of the current situation hit Eve.  "Oh, Rae, I'm sorry about Skye… her condition and all.  But the good news is that she should be okay - physically."  
  
"What do you mean, physically?" Alan interrupted.  
  
"Well, she just told me that she doesn't want to have any visitors, not even family," Eve told them in a sad voice.  "She's extremely despondent at the moment."  
  
The group stood in silence for a moment, pondering what to do.  
  
"If it's not crossing the line too much, and if it's okay with all of you, I would like to talk with Skye," Gail offered to the group.  Hearing no objections, Gail squeezed Monica's hand and gave Rae a reassuring smile before disappearing into Skye's room with Eve.  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.10 Chapter 13  
  
   
  
Eve entered Skye's hospital room, followed by Gail. "Skye, this is Dr. Baldwin. She'd like to talk with you for a moment."  
  
Skye was rolled over on her side in the bed, her back to the door. "No," came her muffled reply.  
  
Gail cautiously walked over to the bed and stood in front of Skye so she could make eye contact with the young woman. "Skye, my name is Gail Baldwin. I'm a therapist here at GH, and I would very much like to talk to you." Gail watched as Skye squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to block everything out. Gail nodded at Eve, indicating that she should go. As Eve exited, Gail tried a different approach.  
  
"Skye, your entire family is outside. They were all so worried about you, and they all love you very much. They would really like to see you, to make certain that you're okay."  
  
Skye opened her eyes then and looked at Gail. "Do I look okay to you?" she asked dully.  
  
Gail gave Skye a sympathetic smile before answering. "It's pretty obvious you're not okay, Skye."  
  
Skye let out a dry laugh. "Wow, you must be at the top of your field to make such an astute observation." She rolled over onto her back and sat up a bit more in bed. Gail took this as a positive sign that Skye was willing to talk, so she pulled up a chair next to the bed.  
  
"Skye, what is the last thing you remember?" Gail asked gently.  
  
Skye shrugged, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Oh, let's see… I guess that would be finding a seat on the hard ground in the rose garden and drinking all my troubles away." She looked at Gail suddenly. "But wait - you were there, at the Quartermaines," she said, looking at Gail questioningly.  
  
Gail nodded. "Yes, that's right, I was. My husband, Lee, and I were invited to a dinner party there. I'm good friends with Monica, and I also know your mother, Rae."  
  
Skye rolled her eyes as she leaned back in bed. "Good grief, just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," she mumbled, then looked back at Gail. "Well, forgive me for saying so, but I'm sure your image of me is already a bit tarnished, so you'll understand if I don't really feel up to chatting with you anymore."  
  
Gail sighed and clasped her hands in front of her, trying to figure out how to get through to Skye that she could be objective in this situation. "Look, Skye, I know that there are many issues between you and your family. If it makes you feel any better, I'm not aware of what those really are. I only see a deeply troubled young woman in front of me who almost drank herself to death tonight, and I'd hate to see your life wasted like that."  
  
Skye looked down, surprised by Gail's frankness. "Why should you care what I do or don't do?" she asked sullenly.  
  
"My husband, Lee, is a recovering alcoholic," Gail answered after a bit of hesitation. "He fell off the wagon many years ago, and it was pure hell, to be quite honest. But with some help, he got back with the program, and he's doing wonderfully now." Gail noticed that Skye was listening, even if she kept her eyes downcast. "Skye, your family doesn't want to lose you, and that almost happened tonight. Won't you give them the chance to help you, or let someone else help you through this? Don't throw your life away."  
  
Skye wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes. "So, what are you suggesting - that I let my family get me through this?" Skye looked at Gail in amazement. "You just don't get it - they are the problem, not the solution."  
  
"Well, maybe you would prefer a different approach, perhaps a rehab center."  
  
Skye bit her lip, tempted to make some smart comeback, but then thought about what Gail had said. The truth was that she hated what she had done to herself in such a short amount of time, and it truly did scare her that she had come so close to death. She wasn't ready to die yet, she just didn't know how to handle all the pain inside.  
  
Gail stood up after not getting a reaction out of Skye. "Well, it's something for you to consider," she told Skye. She turned to walk out of the room, but paused at the door. "Do you want to see anyone in your family?" she asked quietly.  
  
Skye shook her head. "No, not yet. I… I need some time alone."  
  
Gail nodded in understanding, then left Skye alone with her thoughts.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Gail, how is she?" Rae asked as soon as she saw Gail exit Skye's room.  
  
Gail gave Rae a sympathetic look. "Now, Rae, you know I can't divulge what we talked about in there. I'm sorry." She gave her old friend a pat on the arm.  
  
"Well, can I see her?" Rae asked anxiously, but Gail shook her head.  
  
"I'm sorry, Rae, but Skye would like some time alone, and I think it's best that we give that to her."  
  
Rae nodded as Gail walked away, then turned to John, completely dejected. "John, I just feel so damn helpless," she whispered to him.  
  
John pulled Rae into his arms and held her tight. He was struggling to maintain control of his own emotions, but he wanted to be strong for Rae. Part of him was actually angry with Skye for putting Rae through all this agony, but another part of him felt sorry for Skye and wanted to help her in any way that he could, especially if that would mean that Rae would be happy once again. He couldn't imagine how devastated Rae would've been if Skye had died. He shuddered at the prospect.  
  
Rae pulled back and looked up at John with concern. "John, what is it?" Her eyes were full of pain, and John refused to add to that.  
  
"It's nothing," he reassured her with a smile, then kissed her forehead. "I'm just glad that Skye is going to be okay, and I'm sure she'll come around soon and want to see you. I don't want you to worry, okay?"  
  
"Easier said than done," Rae said ruefully, then frowned as she looked up at John. "Oh, John, I'm so sorry - I haven't even thanked you for all that you did in finding Skye, then carrying her back to the house. I… I hope you know that I would never take you for granted, John."  
  
John tipped Rae's chin up so that he could gaze directly into her eyes. "Of course I know that," he told her in a husky voice, thick with emotion. "And God help me if I ever take you for granted, Rae Cummings. You are indeed an amazing woman."  
  
Rae smiled up at John, even as a few tears slid down her cheeks. "How in the world was I lucky enough to find you?"  
  
John smiled in return. "It goes both ways," he answered, then leaned down and kissed her softly. The two stood that way for several moments, while the rest of the group tried not to stare.  
  
"Well, it looks like I don't have to worry about Rae being after you," Monica half-joked to Alan.  
  
"Not now, Monica," Alan replied in a flat tone.  
  
Monica sighed. "Sorry, that probably wasn't the right thing to say right now." She paused, studying the worried creases in her husband's forehead. Reaching over, Monica took one of Alan's hands and held it in her own. "Alan, I just want you to know that I still mean what I said before - I am going to try to be there for you and for Skye. I do want you to have a relationship with her. I'm just sorry that I wasn't more accepting of her until now."  
  
Alan leaned over and kissed Monica on the cheek. "Thank you," he said, swallowing over the lump in his throat. "That means so much to me, Monica."  
  
"I love you so much," Monica told him tearfully.  
  
"Same here," Alan replied, then hugged his wife tight.  
  
Just then, Amy Vining came over to AJ. "Wow, look at this little love- fest," she joked.  
  
AJ gave Amy an annoyed look. "What do you want, Amy?"  
  
"Well, I was wondering if you know where Gail went off to. Skye is asking for her."  
  
"Really?" AJ was astonished at the news.  
  
Amy nodded. "Yep, I guess that's a good sign, huh?"  
  
AJ's annoyed look returned. "Just help me find her, Amy, okay?"  
  
"Whatever you say," Amy replied before trying to page Gail.  
  
A few minutes later, Gail came down the hall to Skye's door. She couldn't help but smile when she saw the same crowd still gathered outside the room. "No promises," was all she said before disappearing into Skye's room once again.  
  
Skye was sitting up in bed, awaiting Gail's return. Her stomach was churning as she thought about what she had to do, but she knew that she had to follow through with it.  
  
"Hello, Skye," Gail greeted her as she came into the room.  
  
"Dr. Baldwin," came Skye's reply. Gail noticed that her voice was a bit shaky.  
  
"So, what did you want to see me about?" Gail asked, coming over to sit in the chair next to the bed once more.  
  
Skye took a deep breath. "I've made a decision. I know what I need to do."  
  
   
  
   
  
2.1.1.1.1.1.11 Chapter 14  
  
   
  
Gail waited patiently for Skye's answer, surprised but impressed that Skye had actually reached a decision so quickly about what she wanted to do.  
  
Skye tucked a lock of her hair behind an ear.  She fiddled with the edge of the blanket, working up the nerve to actually say out loud what she knew in her heart was her only chance for survival.  "I, uh, decided that I need to go to a rehab center," she said quietly, then glanced up at Gail to see her reaction.  
  
Gail smiled and reached over to give Skye's hand a reassuring squeeze.  "Skye, I know this wasn't an easy decision for you to come to," she began.  
  
"Hmph, you can say that again!" Skye said bitterly.  
  
"Nonetheless, I think it's the best thing for you right now."  Gail paused and glanced at the door.  "Do you want me to inform your family of your decision, or would you like to tell them yourself?"  
  
Skye let out a long breath.  "I know that I need to talk to them before I go.  I guess I might as well get it over with."  
  
Gail nodded, then started to walk to the door, but was stopped by Skye calling out her name.  
  
"Um, Dr. Baldwin, when will I leave?" Skye asked nervously.  
  
"Well, as soon as the doctor here releases you, you'll go straight there," Gail informed her, noticing the scared look in Skye's eyes.  "Have you ever been to a rehab place before?"  
  
Skye shook her head.  "Not as a patient.  The irony of all this is that I was actually an AA counselor for awhile.  I guess I didn't learn much from that experience."  
  
Gail paused, trying to find the right words of comfort and encouragement.  "Skye, all I can tell you is to look at this as a fresh start.  Okay?"  
  
Skye nodded, not looking entirely convinced, but also not looking quite so worried.  She watched out of the corner of her eye as Gail went to retrieve the family.  
  
  
  
  
  
"She wants to see you now," Gail told the group still gathered outside Skye's room.  
  
AJ looked at the others, who were hesitating.  "Do we all want to go in together?" he asked, anxious to talk with Skye.  
  
"Um, why don't you go in 1 or 2 at a time?" Gail suggested.  The others agreed, and decided that AJ could go in first.  
  
Rae watched AJ go into her room, then embraced Gail.  "Thank you," she told her longtime friend.   
  
"I'm glad I could help," Gail replied.  
  
Rae sighed, new anxiety filling her.  "Now I just have to figure out the right thing to say," she said softly.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey," AJ said quietly as he shut the door and slowly walked over to Skye's bed.  
  
Skye raised her head and saw the worry etched on her brother's face; she patted the side of the bed next to her.  "Come here," she told him.  
  
AJ sat down next to Skye and tried to smile at her, but instead had to blink back tears.  He suddenly enveloped Skye in a big hug.  "I was so afraid I'd lost you," he told her.  
  
"I'm so sorry, AJ," Skye whispered as she started to cry.  She finally pulled away from the hug.  AJ handed her a Kleenex and then grabbed one for himself as well.  
  
"I've decided to go into rehab," Skye told her brother, then smiled.  "Hey, it looks like you're not the screw-up any longer, anyway."  
  
AJ grasped Skye's hand.  "Listen to me, Skye – you are not a screw-up, 'kay?  And I think this is huge – you being willing to go into rehab.  You're going to make it, I don't have a doubt in my mind."  
  
Skye laughed sardonically as she wiped away more tears with the Kleenex.  "Well, AJ, I'm glad you believe in me, because I think you're the only one.  I'm even having some trouble believing in myself."  
  
"Believe it," AJ said firmly.  "You can do this, I know you can."   
  
Skye nodded, too tired and overcome with emotion to respond or put up an argument.  
  
AJ sighed as he released her hand.  "Well, I know everyone else wants to see you, so I should probably let them have their turn."   
  
"Wait, don't go yet," Skye pleaded, surprising AJ and even herself.  "I, uh, have a favor to ask you."  
  
"Name it," AJ told her.   
  
"I was wondering if you could take me to the rehab place.  I mean, I'll understand if you don't want to, it's just…"  Skye took a deep breath, trying to put her feelings into words, but AJ responded before she could go on.  
  
"Of course I will, Skye."  He was honored that she wanted him to be the one to take her; it proved that their bond was indeed a strong one, and that Skye felt the same way he did.  
  
AJ stood up before he became emotional again.  "Well, I really should let the others in here before they beat the door down," he said, trying to lighten up the mood a bit.  He leaned down and kissed Skye's cheek.  "I love you, Skye," he said softly, then turned and walked quickly out of the room.  
  
"I love you, too, AJ," she whispered to his retreating figure as a new wave of tears came.  
  
  
  
  
  
Rae watched as Alan and Monica entered Skye's room.  Her stomach was filled with butterflies.  
  
"Hey, beautiful," John whispered in her ear, trying to get her attention.  "Rae?"  
  
"Hmmm?" she responded after a moment.   
  
John turned her around to face him.  "It's gonna be okay," he told her, wanting to take away her anxiety.  
  
Rae nodded, but she was still unconvinced.  She didn't know if things between her and Skye would ever be okay again.  
  
  
  
  
  
Monica stood behind Alan as he walked over to Skye's bed.  Alan leaned down and gently kissed Skye's forehead.  "Hello, sweetheart," he greeted her, trying to smile.  
  
"Hi, Dad, Monica," Skye greeted them guardedly.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Monica asked after a moment, breaking the silence.  
  
"Well, I'm still here," Skye half-joked, then saw the look on Alan's face.  "Oh, Dad, I'm sorry."  
  
Alan reached out and cupped Skye's face in his hands.  "You just really scared me, sweetie.  I just found you, I don't want to lose you."  
  
Skye swallowed over the lump in her throat.  "I know.  I'm so sorry."  She looked over at Monica, who looked very uncomfortable.  "Um, Monica, I understand that I have you to thank for me being alive."  
  
Monica nodded slightly and moved a bit closer to Skye's bed.  "I'm the one that found you when you were, um, unconscious."  
  
"You mean, passed out," Skye correctly dryly.  "It's okay, you can say it.  I was drunk out of my mind and passed out."  She noticed that Monica and Alan both had their eyes trained on the floor.  "Hey, guys, it's okay – this has to get out in the open, right?"  She sighed, rubbing her forehead.  "Anyway, I've decided to go to someplace for rehab.  I think it's best."  
  
Alan beamed down at Skye.  "That is wonderful news, Skye.  I'm so proud of you."  
  
"Don't be proud of me yet, Dad.  I haven't done anything to deserve it yet."  Skye looked over at Monica and was surprised to see that she looked like she could burst into tears at any moment.  "I am very sorry, I can't tell you both how much I'm sorry for everything," Skye said after another moment of silence.  "I just hope that you both can forgive me."  
  
"Of course we forgive you, honey.  You just concentrate on getting the help that you need, okay?"  Alan patted Skye's hand and kissed her forehead again, then turned toward Monica, waiting on her reply.  
  
Monica slowly walked over to Skye, then surprised Skye and Alan by taking Skye's hand in her own.  "I know what it's like to lose a daughter, Skye.  I don't want Alan to go through that," she paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "and I don't want to lose you, either."  
  
Both women started crying and then embraced, as Alan blinked back tears at the sight in front of him.  
  
Monica stood back up and laughed as she wiped away her tears.  "Well, I think hell just froze over," she joked, and was relieved to hear Skye chuckle.  
  
"You take care of yourself, Skye.  We'll see you soon, okay?"  Alan followed Monica out the door as Skye watched them leave, feeling dumbfounded at what had just happened.  
  
  
  
"How did it go in there?" Rae asked Alan, surprised to see Monica's red face.   
  
"It went better than I could've ever hoped for," Alan replied with a grin, then kissed Rae on the cheek.  "Go on in, you'll be fine."  
  
"I hope so," Rae replied, looking at the door uneasily.  She turned toward John.  "Ready?"  
  
John nodded and took her hand in his.  "I am if you are," he told her, giving her hand a squeeze.  
  
Rae nodded, then pushed open the door to Skye's room.  
  
  
  
  
  
Skye forced herself to take deep breaths to try to relax.  As she waited for Rae and John to come into her room, Skye tried to make images in her mind fade, but they kept popping back up.  She blinked back tears as she remembered the harsh words she had said to Rae at the PC Grille, and then again outside her hotel room.   
  
Skye watched as the door opened slowly, then saw Rae peek her head in.  Skye nodded and motioned for her to enter the room.  She was glad to see John come in as well, since she owed him her thanks.  
  
"Hello, Skye," Rae said, trying to keep her emotions in control.  
  
"Hi," Skye replied, smiling slightly at the couple.  The three just looked at each other for a moment before Skye spoke up.   
  
"Before either of you say anything, I just want to say thank you to John for carrying me to the house," Skye said quickly.  "And I also want to say that I'm very sorry, and that I've decided to go into a rehab program."  She stopped and sucked in a breath, relieved that she had said everything she wanted to.  
  
"Well, I appreciate your gratitude, Skye," John replied.  "And I wish only the best for you.  I'll be pulling for you."  
  
Skye nodded and gave John a grateful smile.  John leaned over and whispered something in Rae's ear.  Rae smiled and nodded, then John left as Skye looked on in confusion.  
  
   
  
"Was it something I said?" she half-joked.  
  
"Oh, Skye."  Rae's heart broke as she looked at her daughter, who was trying to put up such a strong front in that hospital bed.  "Honey, what brought all this on?  Was it me?"  
  
Skye couldn't answer; she suddenly was too choked up to get any words out.  Instead, she just reached for another Kleenex.  
  
Rae moved over to Skye's bedside and sat down beside her daughter.  "Sweetie, I'm so glad you're alright.  I hate to think what I'd do if anything happened to you."  Rae's voice trailed off as she choked back a sob.  She took a deep breath and then continued.  "I hope you know how much you mean to me, Skye, and I'm so sorry if I hurt you by betraying your confidence to Adam."  
  
Skye started to cry  – quietly at first, but then louder until her body was wracked with sobs.  Rae simply gathered her daughter in her arms and held onto her, until Skye's crying finally started to subside.   
  
Skye leaned back against her pillow, her physical and emotional exhaustion apparent.  "I'm sorry," she said in a shaky voice, still fighting tears.   
  
Rae shook her head and held one of Skye's hands in her own.  "For what?  Crying?"   
  
Skye nodded, unable to look her mother in the eye.  "That, and… everything," she muttered.  
  
"Skye, you shouldn't be sorry for showing your emotions, okay?"  Rae gave her hand a squeeze.  "I love you, Skye."  
  
Skye looked up at Rae with a look in her eyes that Rae couldn't read.  "How could you love me?" she asked in astonishment.   
  
Rae returned the look of astonishment.  "How could I not love you?  You're my daughter!"  
  
Skye shook her head.  "You should hate me for what I've done, for how I've acted," she insisted.   
  
It was Rae's turn to shake her head.  "No, Skye – I could never hate you!"  
  
"But you used to hate me," Skye reminded her, her voice trembling.  "Who's to say that you couldn't go back to hating me again?"  
  
"I say, that's who!" Rae said forcefully.  "Skye, where is this coming from?  Why won't you believe me?"  
  
Tears started streaming down Skye's cheeks once more, as she tried to get the words out in between sobs.  "I'm just so afraid… that you would hate me again… like you did before.  And I… I couldn't take that, Rae.  Althea… she hated me my entire life.  I don't think I could handle it if you hated me again, too."  
  
Rae pulled Skye into a tight hug as both mother and daughter cried for a long time, both feeling for maybe the first time the pain that the other had to endure.   
  
It was a fresh start for everyone.  
  
   
  
THE END 


End file.
